Vintage Scientific American Mind Magazine November/December 2013 The Science of Sin Special Issue Volume 24 Number 5

The November/December 2013 issue of Scientific American Mind (Vol. 24, Issue 5) was a special edition titled "The Science of Sin". This issue explored the evolutionary, biological, and neurological underpinnings of humanity's primal vices.

Key topics featured in this special issue include:

The Neurobiology of Morality: How the brain processes ethical violations, the illusion of free will, and how neural habits drive moral decline or ethical growth.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Deep dives into the psychology behind anger, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, and sloth, and why these behaviors were selected through human evolution.

Regular Departments: Features covering "Self-Cutters Seeking Pain Relief," "Inhaled Stem Cells," and "Visual Neurons Cheating by Focusing on Corners".

Core Contents & Thematic Features

The issue explores why we engage in behaviors we know we shouldn't by dedicating features to each of the traditional seven deadly sins:

Lust & Greed: Analyzes the neural basis of temptation and how evolutionary drives manifest in modern relationship choices and resource hoarding.

Pride: Features an article titled "Pride: It Brings Out the Best—and Worst—in Humans," examining how status-seeking behaviors drive achievement and rivalry.

Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, & Envy: Explores the brain chemistry behind procrastination, eating addictions, impulsive aggression, and social comparison.