The Conversation

Why we hate making financial decisions – and what to do about it

Written by Aner Sela, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Florida

Financial decisions can be a real maze. Andrii Vodolazhskyi/Shutterstock.com

The advice to use your head, not your heart, might not be helpful after all.

We all make tough decisions, but choices relating to money send many of us running in the other direction. Unfortunately, ample evidence indicates that aversion toward financial decisions leads...

Federal judge rules Trump's Twitter account is a public forum

Written by Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, University of Florida

The president uses his Twitter feed to make official announcements.AP Photo/J. David Ake

A federal judge in New York has ruled that President Donald Trump cannot block people from following or viewing his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account. While the case will likely be appealed and could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision is a resounding...

Venezuela is now a dictatorship

Written by Miguel Angel Latouche, Associate Professor, Universidad Central de Venezuela

Fewer than half of Venezuela’s registered voters participated in the South American country’s May 20 election, punishing a government they don’t support by simply not voting.

Nevertheless, Nicolás Maduro was re-elected as president of Venezuela by a wide margin over his strongest opponent, Henri Falcón.

Maduro...

Peer rejection isn't the culprit behind school shootings

Written by Jennifer Watling Neal, Associate Professor, Michigan State University

Peer rejection is common among school shooters, but does that explain their actions?Sabphoto/www.shutterstock.om

Whenever a school shooting takes place, the focus often turns to the social life of the shooters, and people conclude that they suffered from some type of peer rejection or victimization.

For example, in the latest school shooting, report...

Some Sunnis voted for a Shiite – and 3 more takeaways from the Iraqi election

Written by Karl Kaltenthaler, Adjunct Professor, Case Western Reserve University

An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained finger after voting in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. AP Photo/Hadi Mizban

The results of May 2018 the Iraqi parliament election shocked many. The surprising results could mean a different phase in Iraq’s political trajectory has begun.

Most...

What's in your genome? Parents-to-be want to know

Written by Carolyn Sue Richards, Professor of molecular and medical genetics, Oregon Health & Science University

By In The Light Photography/shutterstock.com

Every parent-to-be wants a healthy baby. And, when offered an opportunity, most couples want to know which disease-causing genes, or risk factors, they carry and could unwittingly pass to their children.

I’m a clinical molecular geneticist and wanted to understand exactly how much do people want...

Why medicine leads the professions in suicide, and what we can do about it

Written by Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

Suicide is more prevalent among doctors than any other profession. Burnout could be a reason.Iuri Silvestre/Shutterstock.com

Earlier this month, one of us visited a prominent U.S. medical school to give a lecture on the topic of burnout and how physicians can find more fulfillment in the practice of medicine. Sadly, that very day, a fourth-year...

Women's higher education was pioneered by evangelical Christian leaders

Written by Andrea L. Turpin, Associate Professor of History, Baylor University

Evangelical Christian educator, Paige Patterson.AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser, File

Southern Baptist Convention leader Paige Patterson was asked to step down early Wednesday morning following a meeting of the board of trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he served as president. With a following of over 15 million, Southern...

Would Rachel Carson eat organic?

Written by Robert Paarlberg, Adjunct Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University

'Silent Spring' author Rachel Carson testifies before a Senate Government Operations Subcommittee in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 1963. Carson urged Congress to curb the sale of chemical pesticides and aerial spraying. AP

Rachel Carson, who was born on May 27, 1907, and launched the modern environmental movement with her 1962 book “Silent...

Could protest curb school violence? Lessons from the opt-out movement

Written by Sarah Stitzlein, Professor of Education and Affiliate Faculty in Philosophy, University of Cincinnati

Students walk out of school in March 2018 as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence.Lynne Sladky/AP

In the wake of the Santa Fe, Texas, school shooting, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan voiced support for a school boycott. The boycott – which Duncan has said could take place in September – would involve keeping kids...