Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 2, 2016

Childhood Shyness: When Should You Worry?

When parents observe shyness in their child, they may wonder if it is normal or cause for concern. For instance, in social situations, the child may cling to their parent, be hesitant to speak, reluctant to interact with others, and play alone when in groups more often than other children...

Aug 29, 2016

The Perks of Being a Twin May Include a Longer Life

Being a twin may add a few extra years to your life, a new study suggests. Researchers found that identical twins in Denmark tended to live longer than fraternal twins in that country, while both types of twins typically outlived men and women in Denmark who were not twins. The...

Oct 10, 2016

25 Scientific Tips For Raising Happy (& Healthy) Kids

Being a Good Parent A father and son bond over kite-flying. (Image credit: Sergej Khakimullin, Shutterstock)There are many ways to raise happy, well-adjusted kids, but science has a few tips for making sure they turn out okay. From keeping it fun to letting them leave the nest, here are 10...

Oct 14, 2016

Twins Conjoined at Head Now Separated: What Causes Rare Condition?

Twin boys who were born joined at the head are now successfully separated after they underwent a rare surgery that took more than 20 hours, doctors announced today. The 13-month-old boys, Jadon and Anias McDonald, were born with a condition called craniopagus, which means they shared a portion of their...

Oct 21, 2016

Healthy Viewing: New Screen Time Guidelines for Kids

How much screen time is healthy for kids? Parents who are unsure of the answer can turn to a new set of guidelines put forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The new recommendations outline how much time kids — ranging from infants to adolescents — can spend watching...

Oct 27, 2016

The Science of Breakups: 7 Facts About Splitsville

Breakup science (Image credit: Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com)When love goes sour, the fallout can be severe — just check out the song list of any Taylor Swift album. But what does science have to say about the emotional aftermath of breakups? It turns out that just like relationships themselves, separations can be...

Nov 13, 2016

Spanking on the Decline? Fewer Parents Admit to It

The percentage of parents who say they spank their kids seems to have declined in recent years, new research suggests. Researchers found that the percentage of mothers in middle-income families who reported spanking their kids declined from 46 percent to 21 percent over the 23-year study period. However, the results...

Nov 28, 2016

How to Talk to Kids About Divorce

Divorce is often stressful for both parents and their children, and now a new report with some advice for parents encourages them to look to their children's pediatricians, therapists and others in their communities to help them manage this tough transition. Research shows that children may experience a range of...

Dec 12, 2016

Benefits of 'Kangaroo Mother Care': Do They Last?

Vulnerable babies who are held close by their parents, skin to skin, may reap the benefits of this so-called kangaroo mother care for at least two decades, according to a new study from Colombia. Researchers found that premature and low-birth-weight babies who had been held by their moms or dads,...

Jan 18, 2017

Mold Inside Sophie the Giraffe Toys: Should Parents Worry?

Some parents recently got a shocking sight when they cut open their child's favorite teething toy, Sophie the Giraffe: The toy's innards were teeming with mold. But although the mold might look gross, it's unlikely to harm kids, experts say. This week, Good Housekeeping reported several instances of parents cutting...

Feb 10, 2017

Clooneys Expecting Twins: 6 Facts About Older Parents

George and Amal Clooney are expecting twins this summer, making the couple part of a growing trend of people becoming parents at older ages in the United States. The twins will be the first children for both George, age 55, and Amal, age 39, according to the Los Angeles Times....

Mar 14, 2017

Could Being a Parent Help You Live Longer?

You may feel as though raising kids would take years off your life, but having children may actually increase your life span, according to a new study from Sweden. Researchers found that, among older adults, those who had children lived longer than those who remained childless. For example, the researchers...

Apr 6, 2017

UK and Canadian Infants Cry More Than US Newborns

It's a fact of life that newborns cry, but a new analysis of nearly 8,700 infants reveals that babies cry and fuss more in certain countries than in others. The study looked at infants in eight countries: Denmark, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Japan and the...

May 2, 2017

Move Over, Oxytocin: Other Chemicals Also Shape Social Lives

The cuddle hormone oxytocin gets all the attention, but a new study finds that other chemicals in the brain may play even bigger roles in people's interactions with others. In the study, researchers looked at people's genes for six different social neuropeptides — chemicals in the brain that are involved...

May 25, 2017

Book Excerpt: 'Looking Out for Number Two' (Harper Wave, 2017)

In Looking Out for Number Two, pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Bryan Vartabedian offers a reassuring (and humorous) perspective on the mysterious effluvia that infants produce. Vartabedian describes the ins and outs of infant digestion in exhaustive detail, describing the range of by-products that emerge from both ends of a baby. He...