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. Psychology

    Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

    Demanding perfection of oneself boosts longevity for diabetic seniors, but it may prompt depression in new mothers.

  2. Psychology

    Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

    A new study suggests that children don’t recognize facial expressions of disgust until age 5, much later than many researchers had assumed.

  3. Anthropology

    Contested evidence pushes Ardi out of the woods

    A controversial new investigation suggests that the ancient hominid lived on savannas, not in forests.

  4. Psychology

    Gene makes kids more vulnerable to bullying’s effects

    Kids who get bullied a lot can develop serious emotional problems, especially if they possess a certain gene.

  5. Humans

    Grown men swap bodies with virtual girl

    People who undergo virtual-reality perspective shifts feel like they’ve switched bodies with a virtual character.

  6. Psychology

    Bereaved relatives helped by chance to view body after sudden loss

    Grieving people rarely regret having seen a dead loved one, even in cases of violent death, a British study suggests.

  7. Humans

    Vision gets better with the right mind-set

    Volunteers’ eyesight improved when they believed that they could see particularly well.

  8. Animals

    Chimps may be aware of others’ deaths

    Reactions of chimps to dead companions and infants suggest a basic realization of what death entails.

  9. Psychology

    Dream a little dream of recall

    As the sleeping brain builds memories it generates dreams about recently learned material, a new study suggests.

  10. Anthropology

    Lice hang ancient date on first clothes

    Genetic analysis puts garment origin at 190,000 years ago.

  11. Anthropology

    Hobbit debate goes out on some limbs

    A new analysis of fossil hobbits’ limb bones links them to much earlier hominids, and immediately attracts criticism.

  12. Anthropology

    For ancient hominids, thumbs up on precision grip

    An analysis of a 6-million-year-old bone indicates that a humanlike grasp evolved among some of the earliest hominids.