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. When brains wring colors from words

    Brain-scan data indicate that one type of synesthesia, in which people involuntarily see vivid colors while listening to spoken words, is more like a color hallucination than an attempt to imagine colors.

  2. Heads Up: Problem solving pushed bright primates toward bigger brains

    A common capacity among primates for solving a broad range of problems, from coordinating social alliances to inventing tools, may have played a central role in the evolution of progressively larger brains.

  3. Anthropology

    DNA Diaspora: Humanity may share tangled genetic roots

    A controversial new genetic analysis concludes that Homo sapiens evolved by expanding out of Africa in multiple waves beginning at least 600,000 years ago and then interbreeding, rather than totally replacing close relatives such as the Neandertals.

  4. Kids’ ADHD tied to snoring, sleepiness

    Heavy snoring may contribute to the development of hyperactivity and attention problems in some children, especially boys age 8 and younger.

  5. A Maverick Reclaimed

    A small band of researchers wants to resuscitate the ideas of Egon Brunswik, a brilliant but tragic psychologist who died almost 50 years ago.

  6. Good Grief: Bereaved adjust well without airing emotion

    Among bereaved spouses tracked for up to 2 years after their partners' death, those who often talked with others and briefly wrote in diaries about their emotions fared no better than their tight-lipped, unexpressive counterparts.

  7. Archaeology

    Almond Joy, Stone Age Style: Our ancestors had a bash eating wild nuts

    New finds at a 780,000-year-old Israeli site indicate that its ancient residents used stone tools to crack open a variety of hard-shelled nuts that were gathered as a dietary staple.

  8. Infants emerge as picky imitators

    By the age of 14 months, babies display a feel for evaluating the sensibility of an adult's behavior and either imitating the means to a goal or opting for a simpler way to achieve the same result.

  9. Disorder Decline: U.S. mental ills take controversial dip

    Far fewer people suffer from mental disorders requiring treatment than was initially indicated by two national surveys.

  10. Women whiff men in sniff proficiency

    Women of reproductive age exhibit a unique ability to learn to detect specific smells with great sensitivity, an aptitude that may reflect the activity of female hormones in the brain.

  11. Anthropology

    A Fair Share of the Pie

    A cross-cultural project suggests that people everywhere divvy up food and make other economic deals based on social concepts of fairness, not individual self-interest.

  12. Dose of caution: New antipsychotic meds produce muted benefits

    A large clinical trial finds only a modest advantage for a new class of antipsychotic drugs over traditional medications in treating chronic schizophrenia.