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. Women show the ways to maturity

    A 39-year study finds three different patterns of healthy psychological development among women, each of which emphasizes particular goals and trade-offs.

  2. Math fears subtract from memory, learning

    In a study of college students, high levels of anxiety about taking mathematics tests interfered with memory processes needed to perform difficult arithmetic problems.

  3. Babies may thrive on wordless conversation

    Although unable to say a word, 4-month-olds coordinate the timing of their vocalizations with those of adult partners in conversational ways that may have implications for social and intellectual development.

  4. Anthropology

    Human fossils tell a fish tale

    Fossil clues indicate that Stone Age humans ate a considerable amount of seafood, giving them a broader and more resilient diet than that of Neandertals.

  5. Anthropology

    Early agriculture flowered in Mexico

    Mexico may have served as a center of early plant domestication in the Americas, according to researchers who have excavated a site near Mexico's Gulf Coast.

  6. Healthy aging may depend on past habits

    A 60-year study indicates that middle-aged men can exert a considerable amount of personal control over their eventual physical and mental health as seniors.

  7. Teens’ ADHD treatment gets low-dose boost

    Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may reap substantial academic benefits from treatment that combines behavioral training with low doses of stimulant medication.

  8. Anthropology

    Evolution’s Youth Movement

    The fossils of ancient children may provide insights into the evolution of modern Homo sapiens.

  9. Look on the bright side and survive longer

    People who, as young adults, describe their lives using a variety of terms for positive emotions live substantially longer than those who express little positive emotion, according to a long-term study of Catholic nuns.

  10. Many refugees can’t flee mental ailments

    Refugees interviewed in camps in Nepal exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental ailments, especially if they have survived torture in their native country.

  11. Here come mom and dad

    Children in two-parent families spend more time with their mothers and fathers now than they did 20 years ago.

  12. Brains show evolutionary designs

    Mammal species exhibit basic types of brain design from which they have evolved a wide array of brain sizes, according to a new analysis.