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Jeff Wise

About

Jeff Wise is a science writer, outdoor adventurer, and pilot of airplanes and gliders. A contributing editor at Popular Mechanics, he has also written for The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Popular Science, Men's Journal, and many others. In December, 2009, he published his first book of psychology, Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger. He lives in New York City.

To learn more about his writings and career visit his web site, the Jeff Wise Blog, at www.jeffwise.net.

Books by Jeff Wise
Recent Posts
Death Traps
An estimated 120,000 Americans die in accidents each year. Here's how to avoid being one of them.
What Is Music For?
Some argue that music is an evolutionary accident. It seems likely, though, that such a powerfully emotional force must offer a concrete survival advantage
How Real Life Change Happens
What we believe about ourselves depends less on what we think than what we do. To become a different person, first change your actions, and everything else will fall into place.
The Grandeur of Delusion
Though we’d like to think that we mold our beliefs to fit reality, often we do the reverse: to mold our perception of reality so that it fits with our beliefs, no matter how flimsy they may be.
Can You Really Be Addicted to Sunday Football?

Once, drugs and alcohol were addictive. Now the view is that you can get hooked on things like sex, sports, even rock music. It may sound like we're just making excuses for bad behavior, but there's a powerful urgency behind our beliefs about addiction.

Once, drugs and alcohol were addictive. Now the view is that you can get hooked on things like sex, sports, even rock music. It may sound like we're just making excuses for bad behavior, but there's a powerful urgency behind our beliefs about addiction.

Everest’s Psychological Trap

What makes Everest the most dangerous mountain on Earth? Along with extreme cold, low oxygen, high winds, and bad weather, there's another, more elusive factor: the psychologically warping effect of the summit itself.

What makes Everest the most dangerous mountain on Earth? Along with extreme cold, low oxygen, high winds, and bad weather, there's another, more elusive factor: the psychologically warping effect of the summit itself.

Breaking Anxiety's Bizarre Death Loop

A person can be utterly overwhelmed by fear even though there's nothing organically wrong within his or her brain: complex systems can go off the rails despite every component working properly, a phenomenon of which ant colonies offer a vivid example.

A person can be utterly overwhelmed by fear even though there's nothing organically wrong within his or her brain: complex systems can go off the rails despite every component working properly, a phenomenon of which ant colonies offer a vivid example.

Stories Create the World

Everything we see, touch, hear, or smell is infused with significance thanks to irresistible subconscious processes. We can’t help being immersed in meaning. But we can change what things mean.

Everything we see, touch, hear, or smell is infused with significance thanks to irresistible subconscious processes. We can’t help being immersed in meaning. But we can change what things mean.

Fear Turns Invisible

New York City mayor and licensed pilot Michael Bloomberg recently described how he survived an inflight emergency. Could he really have done it without feeling any fear?

New York City mayor and licensed pilot Michael Bloomberg recently described how he survived an inflight emergency. Could he really have done it without feeling any fear?