Sharon Begley

Sharon Begley, our longtime science columnist, died of cancer on January 16, 2021, at age 64. Our thoughts and good wishes go out to her family and her wide circle of colleagues, for whom she was an exemplar of the highest standards of the journalistic profession. Sharon was a senior science writer with The Boston Globe Media Group, author of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, and coauthor with Richard Davidson of The Emotional Life of Your Brain.

The Science of Bouncing Back from Trauma
What causes us to move on from traumatic experiences? Psychologists are finding it’s not always about bouncing back—sometimes we have to feel our whole world fall to pieces. Read more
  • Jan 25,2022
  • Sharon Begley
The Science of Personality Changes
Are you the same person you were at 16? Researchers are exploring why some people do—or don’t—evolve over a lifetime. Read more
  • Nov 15,2021
  • Sharon Begley
Why Crying Equals Thriving
The science of crying reveals tears are one of the most honest forms of communication. Read more
  • Jan 19,2022
  • Sharon Begley
Would You Upload Your Brain to the Cloud?
Scientists are in hot pursuit of the "the connectome"—the map of the 86-billion-neuron, 100-trillion-synapse human brain that would allow your brainware to be recreated in digital form. Read more
  • Nov 15,2021
  • Sharon Begley
Exploring Both Sides of the Brain-Mind Debate
Scientists insist on talking about the brain while the rest of us talk about the mind. Sharon Begley sizes up the two sides of the mind/brain conversation. Read more
  • Jan 11,2023
  • Sharon Begley
You Had Me at Hello
Why is it that we seem to get along with some people right off the bat? Is it just because you happen to like the same kind of music, or are there deeper reasons to find yourself on the same wavelength? Read more
  • Jan 10,2022
  • Sharon Begley
The Quest to Live Forever
Some scientists are working on making the last stages of life a little healthier, others are trying to extend life, and still others are hoping to make death obsolete. Read more
  • Nov 15,2021
  • Sharon Begley
Can Meditation Change Your Genes?
DNA determines much of who we are, but it’s not fixed for life. Our behavior and environment can effect alterations to genes for good or ill. Can meditating affect us at a genetic level? Read more
  • Aug 21,2018
  • Sharon Begley
Truly, Madly, Deeply in Love… with Myself
Narcissism has fascinated and bedeviled researchers for decades. While people encountering them may consider it a disorder, narcissists themselves are quite content with their gargantuan self-regard. Read more
  • Nov 16,2021
  • Sharon Begley
Are We Becoming Smart Fools?
IQ points keep rising with each generation, but the tests are leaving out emotional intelligence, creativity, and wisdom—the very traits we need to solve our most pressing problems. Read more
  • Nov 23,2021
  • Sharon Begley