Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Psyche.

“I’m a Realist” Is an Excuse for Pessimism. Top Story - August 2026.
“But that is what the voice in my head is telling me”. For many of us, we have a voice in our head that narrates nearly everything. It comments on what happened, predicts what happens next, rehearses conversations, criticizes mistakes, and occasionally argues with itself.
By Jesse Lee28 days ago in Psyche
Why Your Brain Forces You to Remember the Good (and Buries the Bad)
Two in the morning. Her fingers moved on their own. In the search bar of the chat log, she typed goodnight . The screen showed 427 entries. The first was from four years ago, the second too. By the seventeenth, she paused: that night's goodnight was followed by "I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow. Don't skip it."
By Jin29 days ago in Psyche
Never Gonna
Never say never! Right? Isn't that the positive spin on things? But what happens when you categorically know beyond a shadow of any reasonable doubt that something is never going to be? Would you not acknowledge it?
By Jason Morton29 days ago in Psyche
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
Please forgive me for this one. It is only a few days before our semester begins at the college where I teach. I have been in touch with our new coordinator, looked over my notes from having had the same group last year, and deliberately avoided going into the building. Our first meeting gave us the option to be online, and I was hoping I could continue with this particular conceit for the rest of the course. And on top of this, I have been told that I might possibly - just maybe - have two whole courses at the college to teach!
By Kendall Defoe 29 days ago in Psyche
DARVO
I was unfamiliar with this term, DARVO (deny, attack, reverse victim and offender), until today, but I’ve been subjected to this behavior by my sister-in-law, my daughter, and a creator here on Vocal. It’s exhausting, constantly being cast as a villain so others don’t have to look at their own behavior. One thing that makes it exhausting is how easily people buy into it and fall for the rhetorical framing. I’ve had total strangers run campaigns against me because they buy into the narrative presented about me without exercising any cognitive skills to assess the true situation.
By Harper Lewis 29 days ago in Psyche
How does listening to music change the physical structure of brain?
Did you know your brain physically rehearses the music you hear? Discover how listening triggers your motor system and rewires your neural architecture today.
By Alex Lim30 days ago in Psyche
What "The Odyssey" can Teach Us About Life
The new movie of the year, "The Odyssey," starring Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway (among other famous actors), is based on an old classic.
By Elizabeth Woods30 days ago in Psyche
Beyond the White Water. Top Story - August 2026.
When I was a teenager, the ocean pummeled me. I was surfing when the fin of my board sliced through my chest. I came out of the water a bloody mess, and somewhere inside of me, the ocean stopped being a place of freedom.
By Brooke Gallagherabout a month ago in Psyche
Chic toast and sacred water? We've lost it.
Aestheticizing food really isn't anything new. I'm sure plentry of people remember Tasty - those twenty second BuzzFeed videos that could pull just about anyone in. The perfectly styled plates, the bright colors, the food that just looked so fresh, I can't falt anyone for falling for it.
By caitodoesstuffabout a month ago in Psyche
Institutional America, You Got Some 'Splaining to Do
Thirty-Seven Years Later the Lawyer Returns A humid August afternoon found a 75 year old attorney, Kevin Reddington in a Massachusetts courtroom. Seated beside of Reddington is a bereaved mother. She admits to killing her three children before attempting to take her own life on a cold January morning in 2023.
By A.K. Treadwell about a month ago in Psyche
Mental Health and High Functioning
Hiding or masking serious mental health struggles (like bipolar disorder) while presenting a “perfect” outward life can happen, and it carries real risks.
By Annam M Gordonabout a month ago in Psyche
An Epiphany from the Beyond
Have you ever had a moment where the universe seemed to speak just to you? I call it an epiphany. According to Merriam-Webster, an epiphany is a sudden, clear realization or discovery about the core meaning of something.
By Elizabeth Woodsabout a month ago in Psyche