We’re learning just how early in life empathy starts to move us
What contagious crying, comforting hugs and other cute behaviour in infants tells us about the roots of emotional connection
by Zanna Clay & Carlo Vreden
A detour home, through Portuguese
Losing my mother tongue was painful and humiliating. Could learning a new language help me heal?
by Frances Nguyen
They keep the Hindu funeral pyres burning, but at what cost?
For the men and boys of the Dom community in Varanasi, sacred cremations demand a lifetime of exhausting, dangerous labour
by Radhika Iyengar
Ideas
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Guides
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How to anticipate and cope with mania
If you have bipolar disorder, you can learn to play an active role in managing your symptoms and live a fulfilling life
by Kim Pape & Sheri Johnson
What to do when someone goes on the defensive
Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology
by Adar Cohen & Nick Wignall
Life stories
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Editor’s picks
Latest videos
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High in the Alps, Kathleen takes extraordinary steps to keep a pet safe through the winter
Directed by G Anthony Svatek
Frøydis faces an impossible problem – how to grieve a father she hated and loved
The (surprisingly new) science of aphantasia – the inability to ‘see’ mental imagery
A former office worker charts his own path, herding sheep high into the Pyrenees
To become more attuned to the world around you, try sketching outdoors
A dancing NBA superfan on the joy of spaces that let us go wild and get weird
Humans are uniquely reliant on caregivers. This isn’t a weakness, but a wondrous gift
Notes to self
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Popular
What to do when someone goes on the defensive
Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology
by Adar Cohen & Nick Wignall
Plato warned that some pleasures separate us from reality
The contemporary obsession with feeling good might mean we’re losing sight of what makes life genuinely meaningful
by Derek van Zoonen
The hidden calculations that determine whether you will cry
We think of tears as an overflow of emotion, but an evolutionary lens shows they’re a rational form of social signalling
by Daniel Sznycer & Debra Lieberman
Why we choose to avoid information that’s right in front of us
Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic
by Jeremy L Foust
How the nature of friendship has changed through the centuries
The metamorphosis of this special bond from feudal to modern times reveals much about the aspirations of different societies
by Bénedicte Sère
How to chat with almost anyone
It can be awkward at first, but people are more open to conversation than you think – and it could lead to deeper connection
by Michael Yeomans
A sister who wasn’t ours
We were her foster family for two and a half years. We had no claim to her, but she became part of us
by Kelsey Day
Find meditation really boring? You’re not the only one
Other practices like sermons, yoga and retreats can also trigger ‘spiritual boredom’. Here’s why it’s normal and even useful
by Thomas Goetz
Explore: Sex and sexuality
Growing pains, bras, size, sex – a group of women get candid about all things boobs
A film by Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta
Sweet illustrations capture women’s stories of first-time queer attraction
A film by Diane Obomsawin
Shuli’s mother has known he was gay for years. Can they finally talk about it?
A film by Shuli Huang
A minotaur shifts shapes and sexes in this ferociously original animation
A film by Chaerin Im