Mass Hysteria: From Dance Floors to Factory Floors
Throughout the years, people’s minds have played tricks on them, but oftentimes their bodies react for real.
Browsing Tag
Skeptic’s Café
26 posts
Linguistic Myths and Adventures in Etymology
The folk wisdom built up around common English expressions is often wrong, but it can be fun ferreting out the real origins.
Presidents’ Day: Just Another Presidential Fable
A number of folk stories and a few divisive rumors have surrounded the office of the U.S. presidency, and skeptical folks like us check a few of them out.
Numerology Doesn’t Know the Score
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Full Moon Myths Leave Skeptics Howling
Full moons appeal to our imaginations and contribute to our mythologies, but ascribing too much power to them appears to be a continuing form of lunacy.
Dr. Placebo — Half Quack and Half Savant
The placebo effect’s ability to influence human healing and human behavior is well documented, but we must be careful to make sure this fakery does no harm.
Critical Thinker Explains Skepticism vs. Cynicism
Professional skeptic D.J. Grothe explores the difference between skepticism and cynicism and describes how fooling some of the people some of the time is a bad idea all of the time.
Conversion Therapy Fails to ‘Pray Away the Gay’
Reparative or conversion therapy's efforts to "pray away the gay" come a cropper when examined with a skeptical eye.
Psychic Detectives Have a Perfect Record
The idea that legions of psychics are helping police solve crimes around the world is based on, well, nothing.
Applying Healthy Skepticism to Healthy Foods
When superfoods like blueberries, pomegranates, açai, green tea sound a little too amazing, it might be time to take a closer look.