Author: Dr. David Lowemann

Why our waistlines expand in middle age: Stem cells

It’s no secret that our waistlines often expand in middle-age, but the problem isn’t strictly cosmetic. Belly fat accelerates aging and slows down metabolism, increasing our risk for developing diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases. Exactly how age transforms a six pack into a softer stomach, however, is murky. New research shows how aging […]

Published on April 25, 2025

Least Effort and Alignment in Task‐Oriented Communication

Abstract Conversational partners align the meanings of their words over the course of interaction to coordinate and communicate. One process of alignment is lexical entrainment, whereby partners mirror and abbreviate their word usage to converge on shared terms for referents relevant to the conversation. However, lexical entrainment may result in inefficient mimicry that does not […]

Published on April 25, 2025

Psychological richness offers a third path to a good life

Psychologists have long debated the relative benefits of a happy life versus a meaningful life, assuming these to be only two major dimensions of a good life. Here, we propose an alternative: a psychologically rich life, or a life filled with diverse, interesting experiences. Psychologically rich lives not only feel different from meaningful or happy […]

Published on April 25, 2025