Opinion

Personality Can Change Over A Lifetime, And Usually For The Better

11:46am June 30, 2016

by Christopher Soto

Psychologists have been arguing for decades over whether personality traits are real or a myth. More recent research shows that traits are real, a scientist says, and have a big effect on behavior.

Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt of Tennessee celebrates with her son Tyler after the Lady Volunteers defeated Georgia in the championship game of the NCAA Women's Final Four in 1996.

Sports

Thank You, Pat Summitt: From One Tennessee Girl To Another

8:23pm June 28, 2016

by Jessica Taylor

I didn't realize that women didn't get the same recognition as men, and that they had to work twice as hard. I didn't realize this because Pat never made us believe it was or should be any different.

To Help A Criminal Go Straight, Help Him Change How He Thinks

7:00am June 26, 2016

by Jack Bush

More than half of prisoners released from prison are rearrested within a year. Cognitive therapy can help prisoners change the thinking that gets them in trouble, like "I'll never back down."

A small boat navigates through the narrows of the Amazon River delta near Belem, Brazil.

World News

Up The Amazon Without A Paddle — Or Passport, Or Visa, Or Girlfriend

8:26am June 25, 2016

by Peter Breslow

We recently asked our audience to share their travel nightmares. NPR's Peter Breslow tells his own harrowing story — as a New Jersey boy who had everything go wrong on his South American expedition.

Personality Tests Are Popular, But Do They Capture The Real You?

5:18am June 25, 2016

by Annie Murphy Paul

It can be a lot of fun taking those back-of-the-magazine personality tests. But tests may be less fun when they are used by employers to make big life decisions on hiring and job performance.

Week In Politics: Brexit, House Democrats' Sit-In Over Gun Control

4:34pm June 24, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with our regular political commentators E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post and Brooking Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, Donald Trump's visit to Scotland and House Democrats' sit-in over gun control.

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Living On The Edge Of The 'Vanishing Middle Class'

What It's Like To Be A Part Of The 'Vanishing Middle Class'

11:28am June 23, 2016

by Mat Johnson

Mat Johnson grew up poor, but managed to land in the middle class as an adult. Still, he says, opportunities for advancement are few and far between, and it's all too easy to slide back economically.

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Sports

Cavaliers' Historic Win Was Just What This Fan Needed

7:05pm June 20, 2016

by Renita Jablonski

People from Cleveland know not to get ahead of themselves. We know what it's like to lose. Until now.

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Our author Chhavi Sachdev (front row, right), with her dad, mom and brother. Dad is not a fan of Father's Day.

Health & Safety

Father's Day Is Now A Thing In India — But My Dad Is Not A Fan

7:00am June 19, 2016

by Chhavi Sachdev

Growing up in India, I never had to worry about Father's Day. But now I do. Would dad like a booze flask with a mustache decal?

Arts

Compassion Drove Dad To The Salad Bar — That, And Fear Of Alien Abduction

2:33pm June 18, 2016

by Anelise Chen

Her grandparents were vegetarian out of fear of eating reincarnated ancestors. Her father, out of compassion for animals and X-Files-inspired thinking. But it wasn't so great for family unity.