May 11, 2021

Why Do Thoughts Take So Much Time?

New experiments probe how we make decisions

October 5, 2020

A Big 2020 Campaign Question: Wait, What Day Is It?

Time is marching on, toward Election Day. Somehow.

July 21, 2020

Why the Pandemic Is Probably Messing with Your Sense of Time

A surveyTrusted Source conducted at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom found that physical or social distancing during the pandemic has affected people’s perception of time.

February 28, 2020

An Unexpected Brain Area Is Involved in Decision-making

This discovery, published today in Neuron, lends new insight into the brain's remarkable ability to make decisions.

August 16, 2018

The Naturally Rational Brain? How People Use, and Lose, Preexisting Biases to Make Decisions

New Columbia research shows that the human brain employs precise, mathematical logic to decision-making, revealing new insight into the brain science that guides learning.

July 27, 2017

In witnessing the brain's 'aha!' moment, scientists shed light on biology of consciousness

Scientists have identified the brain's 'aha!' moment -- that flash in time when you suddenly know the answer to a difficult question. Today's findings in humans, combined with previous research, provide compelling evidence that this moment -- this feeling of having decided -- pierces consciousness when information being collected by the brain reaches a critical level. Importantly, this study offers new hope that the biological foundations of consciousness may well be within our grasp.

July 27, 2017

In Witnessing the Brain’s ‘Aha!’ Moment, Scientists Shed Light on Biology of Human Consciousness

Study in human participants lends insight into one of neuroscience’s greatest puzzles: how the brain transforms unconscious information into conscious thought.

February 23, 2016

What the Film Inside Out Can Teach Us About the Brain, the Mind and Ourselves

A conversation with two Columbia scientists who consulted on the Oscar-nominated film. 

February 5, 2015

Similar statistics play role in decision-making and World War II code breaking

"The brain reaches a decision by combining samples of evidence in much the way a good statistician would," says a researcher. He demonstrates this theory by monitoring the decision-making process in rhesus monkeys to determine how much and what information they need to confidently choose a correct answer.