Bruce Bower

Bruce Bower

Behavioral Sciences Writer

Bruce Bower has written about the behavioral sciences since 1984. He often writes about psychology, anthropology, archaeology and mental health issues. Bruce has a master's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Following an internship at Science News in 1981, he worked as a reporter at Psychiatric News, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, until joining Science News as a staff writer. In 1996, the American Psychological Association appointed Bruce a Science Writer Fellow, with a grant to visit psychological scientists of his own choosing. Early stints as an aide in a day school for children and teenagers with severe psychological problems and as a counselor in a drug diversion center provided Bruce with a surprisingly good background for a career in science journalism.

All Stories by Bruce Bower

  1. All about Me: Left brain may shine spotlight on self

    Experiments with a split-brain patient suggest that left-hemisphere structures contribute to the conscious understanding of oneself.

  2. Testosterone shows hurtful, helpful sides

    A small but significant portion of men taking large doses of testosterone experience mania, although moderate doses of the male sex hormone show promise in boosting the mood and sex drive of HIV-infected men.

  3. Sleepyheads’ brains veer from restful path

    Unusual patterns of brain activity appear in sleep-deprived volunteers trying to solve verbal and mathematical problems.

  4. Archaeology

    Ancient birth brick emerges in Egypt

    Investigations at a 3,700-year-old Egyptian town have yielded a painted brick that was used in childbirth rituals.

  5. Dendrite decline in schizophrenia

    Cell connections in a part of the brain's frontal lobe appear to dwindle in people with schizophrenia.

  6. Keys to expertise in the brain

    A brain region linked to face recognition may foster expertise at identifying items in any category a person strives to master.

  7. Anthropology

    Ancient populations were game for growth

    Archaeological evidence of a Stone Age shift in dietary preferences, from slow to swift small game, suggests that the human population rose sharply sometime between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago.

  8. Speech loses beat in dyslexia

    The severe reading disorder known as dyslexia may involve an inability to perceive a critical rhythmic beat that separates parts of spoken words.

  9. Resilient DNA: Gene may brighten future for abused kids

    A long-term study in New Zealand indicates that a genetic variation associated with high concentrations of certain brain chemicals protects abused children from becoming violent and impulsive later in life.

  10. Sleep hits pothole on lonely street

    Researchers have found that extremely lonely people get a poor night's sleep, a factor that may contribute to the link between loneliness and elevated incidence of physical illness and death.

  11. Corporal punishment takes research hit

    A review of 88 studies concludes that corporal punishment, such as spanking, yields no psychological or behavioral benefits for children and may prove harmful in some cases.

  12. Staying Alive with Attitude: Beliefs about aging sway seniors’ survival

    In a small Ohio town, people aged 50 and over who reported a positive outlook on aging lived about 7½ years longer than those who held negative views about getting older.