Priya Chandrasekaran
Behavioral Science WriterTrained in cognitive psychology, obsessed with the gap between what people think they do and what they actually do. Her work will make you question your own brain.
Articles by Priya Chandrasekaran
Simpson's Paradox: Why Adding Up the Numbers Can Make Them Lie
A statistical phenomenon reveals how combining data can reverse the truth entirely. Men appeared to have an admission advantage at UC Berkeley—until researchers looked closer.
Your Midlife Behavior Is Already Sealing Your Fate
A Stanford study found that simple behaviors like movement and sleep patterns in midlife can predict lifespan with surprising accuracy—and the divergence happens earlier than aging researchers expected.
Science is Mostly Happy Accidents
A massive study of 1.2 million biomedical papers reveals that 70% of published research finds something nobody predicted. Your image of the scientific method is probably wrong.
The Pirahã Have No Words for Numbers—and They Don't Need Them
The Pirahã language of Brazil contains zero number words, yet speakers manage complex spatial reasoning and trade. It's proof that math doesn't require linguistic scaffolding.
Your Brain Speaks a Language Grammar Never Taught You
Linguists spent decades studying rigid grammatical rules, but your brain is actually fluent in the messy statistics of everyday speech—and it learns patterns that aren't grammatical at all.
Universal Grammar Rules Are Real—and Evolution Proves It
A massive study of 1,700+ languages found that one-third of proposed grammar universals hold up statistically, suggesting human language isn't infinitely variable but constrained by our biology.