Sujata Gupta

Sujata Gupta

Social Sciences Writer

Sujata Gupta is the social sciences writer for Science News. She was a 2017-18 Knight Science Journalism fellow at MIT. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Nature, Discover, NPR, Scientific American, and others. Sujata got her start in journalism at a daily newspaper in Central New York, where she covered education and small town politics. She has also worked as a National Park Ranger, completing stints at parks in Hawaii, California and Maine, and taught English in Nagano, Japan.

All Stories by Sujata Gupta

  1. An illustration of a shattered clock face with cogs, gears, bits of glass, and other parts scattered around.
    Health & Medicine

    Trauma distorts our sense of time and self. A new therapy might help

    The therapy has helped veterans struggling with mental illness imagine their future selves.

  2. A photo of a woman sitting in front of a computer with her head in her hand, obscuring her face.
    Science & Society

    Lots of people feel burned out. But what is burnout exactly?

    Researchers disagree on how to define burnout, or if the phenomenon is really another name for depression. Helping people cope at work still matters.

  3. A large family sits around a table sharing a meal.
    Science & Society

    We prioritize family over self, and that has real-world implications

    Two studies show how family bonds improve personal and mental health, suggesting policy makers should shift away from individualistic mindsets.

  4. A woman with her head down and brown hair covering her face walking on the inside of a large red wheel.
    Science & Society

    Pandemic languishing is a thing. But is it a privilege?

    Positive psychologists contend that people can flourish if they try hard enough. But this pinnacle of well-being might not be so fully in our control.

  5. A single person stands in front of an entrance to a maze with tall walls
    Science & Society

    Why fuzzy definitions are a problem in the social sciences

    Social sciences research is plagued by murky definitions and measurements. Here’s why that matters.

  6. an illustration with young adults in various poses standing on white circles against a teal backdrop
    Psychology

    The pandemic shows us how crises derail young adults’ lives for decades

    Age matters for when we experience calamities, such as pandemics. Young adults are especially vulnerable to getting thrown off their life course.

  7. image of someone watching a woman graduate on a video call
    Psychology

    The pandemic may be stunting young adults’ personality development

    People typically become less neurotic and more agreeable with age. The COVID-19 pandemic may have reversed those trends in adults younger than 30.

  8. A phone on a desk showing the LinkedIn login screen, alongside a purse, notebook and other accessories
    Science & Society

    Looking for a job? Lean more on weak ties than strong relationships

    A 50-year-old social science theory gets put to the test in a new study using data on 20 million LinkedIn users.

  9. image showing a semi-transparent clock overlayed over a photos of a city sidewalk scene and a handshake
    Health & Medicine

    How living in a pandemic distorts our sense of time

    The pandemic has distorted people’s perception of time. That could have implications for collective well-being.

  10. image of the face of someone sleeping in bed under a blue sheet
    Neuroscience

    Sleep deprivation may make people less generous

    Helping each other is inherently human. Yet new research shows that sleep deprivation may dampen people’s desire to donate money.

  11. children eating lunch at school
    Science & Society

    Friendships with rich people may help lift children out of poverty

    For poor children, forming connections to richer peers is linked to greater earnings later in life, researchers say.

  12. Two people hug outside a sign that reads ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. There are flowers all around the sign.
    Psychology

    The idea that many people grow following trauma may be a myth

    Studies of posttraumatic growth are fundamentally flawed and can contribute to toxic cultural narratives, researchers say.