The Conversation

‘I were but little happy, if I could say how much’: Shakespeare’s insights on happiness have held up for more than 400 years

Written by Cora Fox, Associate Professor of English and Health Humanities, Arizona State University

Joanna Vanderham as Desdemona and Hugh Quarshie as the title character in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of 'Othello.'Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images

What is “happiness” – and who gets to be happy?

Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has measured and compared data from 167 countries. The United States currently ranks...

Why predicting battery performance is like forecasting traffic − and how researchers are making progress

Written by Emmanuel Olugbade, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

How much charge is left? It can be hard to know for sure.Olemedia/E+ via Getty Images

Lithium-ion batteries are quietly powering large parts of the world, including electric vehicles and smartphones. They have revolutionized how people store and use energy. But as these batteries become more central to daily life, they bring more attention to the...

These 4 tips can make screen time good for your kids and even help them learn to talk

Written by Erika Squires, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University

Getting involved when your kids are watching digital media can make it an educational experience, rather than just entertainment.damircudic/E+ via Getty Images

Screen time permeates the lives of toddlers and preschoolers. For many young children, their exposure includes both direct viewing, such as watching a TV show, and indirect viewing, such as...

Trump’s aggressive actions against free speech speak a lot louder than his words defending it

Written by Daniel Hall, Professor of Justice and Community Studies & Political Science, Miami University

Free speech in the U.S. is being curtailed by the Trump administration. Malte Mueller, fStop/Getty Images

Harvard University took the extraordinary step of suing the Trump administration on April 21, 2025, claiming that the pressure campaign mounted on the school by the president and his Cabinet to force viewpoint diversity on campus violated the...

Memes and conflict: Study shows surge of imagery and fakes can precede international and political violence

Written by Tim Weninger, Collegiate Proessor of Engineering, University of Notre Dame

AI tools reveal how images have been manipulated.William Theisen et al.

Imagine a country with deep political divisions, where different groups don’t trust each other and violence seems likely. Now, imagine a flood of political images, hateful memes and mocking videos from domestic and foreign sources taking over social media. What is likely...

Pope Francis’ death right after Easter sounds miraculous – but patients and caregivers often work together to delay dying

Written by Michelle Riba, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

Pope Francis died after celebrating Easter with his congregants.AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

On the morning of Easter Monday, after his final public address the day prior, Pope Francis died at age 88, closing 12 years of leading the Catholic Church. He joins the phenomena of people “holding on” until after an anticipated date or event, such...

US colleges and universities have billions stashed away in endowments − a higher ed finance expert explains what they are

Written by Todd L. Ely, Associate Professor of Public Administration; Director, Center for Local Government, University of Colorado Denver

Prospective students tour Georgetown University's campus in Washington in 2013.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

With the Trump administration seeking to cut federal funding for colleges and universities, you might be wondering whether the endowments of these institutions of higher education might be able to fill those gaps. Todd L. Ely, a professor of...

Gratitude comes with benefits − a social psychologist explains how to practice it when times are stressful

Written by Monica Y. Bartlett, Professor of Psychology, Gonzaga University

If the concept of journaling feels daunting, perhaps just call it a gratitude list.Karl Tapales/Moment via Getty Images

A lot has been written about gratitude over the past two decades and how we ought to be feeling it. There is advice for journaling and a plethora of purchasing options for gratitude notebooks and diaries. And research has...

Alaska, rich in petroleum, faces an energy shortage

Written by Brett Watson, Assistant Professor of Applied and Natural Resource Economics, University of Alaska Anchorage

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses underneath the Dalton Highway, carrying crude oil from the North Slope to a port in Valdez.Lance King/Getty Images

In the state with the fourth-largest proven reserves of oil and gas in the U.S., there is a looming energy shortage.

Above the Arctic Circle, oil producers on Alaska’s North Slope send an average...

How do children learn to read? This literacy expert says ‘there are as many ways as there are students’

Written by K. Dara Hill, Professor of Reading and Language Arts, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Not all children learn to read in the same way, but schools tend to adopt a single approach to literacy.luckyvector/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Five years after the pandemic forced children into remote instruction, two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders still cannot read at grade level. Reading scores lag 2 percentage points below 2022 levels and 4...