The Sociological Imagination

What we text about when we text about text.

• By Rick Paulas

Norms change, laws are repealed or added, and patron demographics shift, but somewhere, the true dive remains.

• By Rick Paulas

How the allure of free tricks your mind into accepting irrational options.

• By Rick Paulas

Despite what hipsters might have you believe, vinyl records and cassette tapes aren't making a comeback. The market has changed media too irrevocably for that.

• By Rick Paulas

Probably not, but the history behind that rumor is fascinating.

• By Rick Paulas

Tracing the origins and evolution of every hipster's favorite fashion item.

• By Rick Paulas

Why do we care so much about who plays our favorite fictional characters?

• By Rick Paulas

Facebook makes us sad and Twitter is bad for our relationships, we’ve been told, but are these apps actually changing how humans communicate?

• By Rick Paulas

Examining that jumpy feeling you get when a cop car pulls up behind you—and you've done nothing wrong.

• By Rick Paulas

The bartender has nearly unlimited power, and the patron has seemingly none. Is there any effective way to lobby for a drink?

• By Rick Paulas

Why is there still traffic in 2015, and what can be done to fix it?

• By Rick Paulas

What runaway trolleys tell us about driverless cars.

• By Rick Paulas

BuzzFeed, YouTube, and (former) Gawker stars all describe a similar psychological rush, but riding the viral wave comes with dangers too.

• By Rick Paulas

And how can we make them nicer?

• By Rick Paulas

It’s called the “filter bubble,” and it’s helping Google play to our prejudices.

• By Rick Paulas

Maybe 2768 A.U.C.

• By Rick Paulas

Getting a better sense of how people visualize their neighborhoods could be the first step toward improving them.

• By Rick Paulas

Many people think $2 bills are more valuable than their labels advertise. Are they?

• By Rick Paulas

It can provide the best choices in everyday decision making.

• By Rick Paulas

Athletes often claim that their breakthroughs come when a game starts unfolding at a slower pace. Can psychology explain the phenomenon they're describing?

• By Rick Paulas

The autonomous sensory meridian response videos are garnering a massive audience, but an explanation for their intense effects has eluded scientific inquiry.

• By Rick Paulas

The process is not nearly as official or meticulous as you might expect.

• By Rick Paulas

Selective disposal of digital artifacts is the best way to deal with the aftermath, but you might need your friends and an algorithm to help get you there.

• By Rick Paulas

Which is scarier: an all-powerful deity or your mom?

• By Rick Paulas