Having taught more than 65,000 students in 48 years, Prof. Jim Maas, psychology, retired on Dec. 31, 2011. Maas’ most popular course, Psychology 1101: Introduction to Psychology, will resume in fall 2012 under a new professor. 

Circadian rhythm allows the body to predict when important daily events should occur, such as sleeping and eating. While our bodies try to maintain a steady circadian rhythm, in college it is easy to develop an out-of-sync clock, which may affect students’ ability to perform and maintain good health.

Minds are constantly adapting to their environments in order to direct behavior toward long-term goals, even if the conscious brain is not aware of doing so, according to a recent study by professors at Cornell and elsewhere.

Despite critics, Prof. Emeritus Daryl Bem, psychology, believes in extrasensory perception in the form of premonition.

While many people are familiar with the terms “music therapy” and “speech recognition,” the field of music psychology is less well-known, according Prof. Carol Lynne Krumhansl, psychology.

Recently, a study conducted by a Cornell professor and Ph.D. student revealed Facebook usage can increase self-esteem.

Why do you hate your enemies and love your friends? It's all about personality.

I’m going to offer a conservative estimate – I’m one of a dozen people who hasn’t seen Inception (It’s on my list of things to do, I swear).  But after watching this week’s South Park, I’m a little less intrigued by the idea of following “a taco within a taco.”  That quote makes as much sense as the plot of the movie, I presume.

It is not particularly shocking that there are differences between what a Grammy-winning singer, a brain surgeon and a senior in high school on the JV fencing team do. Of far more interest is the striking similarity in the descriptions that each one gives of their experience when they are “in the zone” – regardless of what (and where) their zone is.

Gene function is explored by “knocking out” a gene – obstructing its operation. The researchers obstructed the gene, and expected the brain and vascular systems to be affected.  They indeed noticed that mice around five months old were excessively grooming themselves.  This behavior is thought to be indicative of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).