Mean Boys: Social Bullying Isn't Just for Girls
A new study shows that boys can shun and ostracize with the best of them. We’ll have to drop our “mean girls” bias to better understand how they do it.
Daniel Luzer
Daniel Luzer is the news editor at Governing magazine.
According to the U.S. Census, Jesus Was White
Unfortunately for Megyn Kelly, considering he died 2,000 years ago, that classification doesn't make much sense.
Are Varsity Sports Destroying Exercise and Ruining America's Schools?
Students who get a lot of exercise perform better academically. But competitive varsity sports limit the availability of rigorous activity in schools.
What a Real War on Christmas Looks Like
A history lesson for former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and other conservatives worried about "a secular clown posse" set on destroying Judeo-Christian traditions.
Is Alcohol Really to Blame for the Prevalence of Sexual Assault?
Access to alcohol isn't anything new, but access to members of the opposite sex is.
Why They're the Redskins: Team Mascots Are Supposed to Be Offensive
There's such a thing as going too far, but team mascots are supposed to be offensive.
What Kills Creativity?
Many American writers fear that standardized testing could be destroying our children. They might be right.
Is the Gay Population a Lot Bigger Than Even Kinsey Predicted?
A new study, which attempts to correct for problems with current survey methodology (even when anonymous we don't always answer honestly), finds that 19 percent of Americans don't consider themselves heterosexual.
How We Discovered That Columbus Didn't Get to America First
And why it doesn't really matter if he was 500 years too late.
This Government Shutdown Won't Be Our Last
Get used to government shutdowns. Serious budget problems are a common feature of large states in decline.
The Gun Rights Crowd Might Be Right About Mental Health
While their intentions aren't necessarily pure, the numbers suggest they're actually on to something.
The Gun Club: On the History of Citizen Ownership of Firearms
The history of citizen ownership of firearms isn’t just about protection against tyranny; it’s also about forcing subjects to defend tyranny.
Does the President Have the Power to Convince Us of Anything?
Not really, no. So why, then, do we bother to listen to his speeches?
The Lives of Dictators’ Wives
The fancy clothes and charitable works aren't incidental: The dictator’s spouse is an important part of maintaining power.
Study: The Protestant Work Ethic Is Real
Thanks to a recent paper in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, we finally have some answers for why Americans work so hard.
It’s Not Just All of the People Around You That Are Getting Fatter
Research reveals that animals are gaining weight, too.
Why Does Citizenship Matter? And Why Do We Keep Fighting About It?
How national affiliation became such an important part of our personal identity.
Russia Can Try to Change Them, but the Olympics Have Always Been Gay
Russian legislators have said they will enforce new anti-gay laws during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, but the ancient athletic games started out as little more than a gigantic festival of homoerotic excess.
The End of Relationships Between College Professors and Students?
How did we come to decide that relationships between professors and students are almost always wrong?
The Future for Carlos Danger: When Do Political Scandals Go Too Far?
His place in the polls continues to drop, but is there hope yet for Anthony Weiner? Research indicates that many politicians tainted by scandal get elected anyway.
Why Pope Francis' Recent Acceptance of Gay Priests Shouldn't Surprise You
The Catholic Church changes its teachings all the time.
Is Widespread Drug Use to Thank for the Inventions of the Classical World?
At least one scholar's research indicates drug use was fairly common in ancient Greece and Rome.
Volunteer Security and the Rise of the Neighborhood Watch
Do neighborhood watch programs work? After 40 years, we still don't really know.
Eat Your Vegetables
Did our ancestors really have healthier diets? The evidence isn't very convincing.
Women Are More Successful When They Keep Their Last Name
Research shows that married women who don't take their husbands' names are more successful than those who do because others judge them to be more intelligent, competent, and ambitious.
The Success of the Military Coup
New research by political scientists finds that, since 1991, most of the world’s coups have resulted in competitive elections.
What Feeds Racism: The Problem With Paula Deen and Good Southern Ladies
Research clearly shows that even “nice" people can be racist.
On the History of Superman and Clark Kent, America's Favorite Hero
Superman's story is one of America's most retold because, as this country's most famous and beloved character, he's a mirror through which we see ourselves.
How America Stole Baseball From the United Kingdom
Americans didn't invent baseball. Why do we work so hard to pretend we did?
Guess What? Traditional Marriage Doesn't Exist
Worried about the government accepting gay marriages? It only pretty recently started accepting straight ones.
The History of Public Phone Conversations
The NSA's eavesdropping and data-gathering may be unsettling, but it's only recently that we've begun to think of our telephone conversations as personal and private.
How Lobster Got Fancy: The Surprising History of a Delicacy
The surprising history—from food for the poor, servants, and prisoners to a soldier's staple to everybody's idea of a delicacy—of "the cockroach of the ocean." Or, one of the most remarkable rebrandings in product history.
Why Do We Still Have Summer Vacation?
Forget the argument about a calendar built around an agrarian economy. It was urbanization that created summer as we know it—and now we can't imagine doing anything else.
Happy Memorial Day. Thank the Confederacy.
On the surprising origins of an official federal holiday that now marks the opening of summer in the United States.
Why Does America Love—and Hate—Prince Harry?
The American fascination with royal families has been around for centuries, almost since we stopped having one of our own.
The Appeal of Tragedy: Recreating the Splendor of The Great Gatsby
Enthusiasm for the clothes of The Great Gatsby don’t indicate blindness toward the tragedy of the story. The tragedy is part of the appeal.