How to adventure beyond the same old foods
Most of us develop comfort zones with food. Expand your palate and discover new flavours, techniques and connections
by Nina Mukerjee Furstenau
Relate
The bonds that tie us: family, friendships, love and community
How luxury brands engineer desire with behavioural economics
From scarcity to market architecture, luxury fashion is manipulating our tastes. But a vintage countermovement has begun
by Charlotte Wren
Severe joy
I wanted conviction to tell me if I could be gay and Catholic. My convictions told me something bigger
by Will Martino
For young people, AI is now a second brain – should we worry?
As a resident tutor, I’ve seen how students are using AI as more than a tool. It’s a psychological shift we’ll soon all make
by Rhea Tibrewala
Stealing my father
I’d long had a rocky relationship with my dad. Then, a predatory caregiver took over his life
by Mark Teich
Guides
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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
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
Popular
Is it wrong to be good friends with a bad person?
Many think the answer is obvious: we ought to cut immoral people out of our lives. But that isn’t necessarily the best option
by Yiran Hua
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
Why we should treat caffeine like the brain-altering drug it is
Like billions of people, I use caffeine. But there is a glaring double standard in the drugs we stigmatise or celebrate
by Jonathan Simone
A little Japanese trick for saying ‘no’
If an outright refusal feels rude but you don’t want to have to explain, here’s how to say ‘no’ the Japanese way
by Richard Fisher
For young people, AI is now a second brain – should we worry?
As a resident tutor, I’ve seen how students are using AI as more than a tool. It’s a psychological shift we’ll soon all make
by Rhea Tibrewala
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
Asteroid economics: why we’re shopping our way through Armageddon
We must escape the psychological trap where grave warnings about existential threats trigger ever more destructive behaviour
by M I Krueger
How luxury brands engineer desire with behavioural economics
From scarcity to market architecture, luxury fashion is manipulating our tastes. But a vintage countermovement has begun
by Charlotte Wren
Popular
View allIs it wrong to be good friends with a bad person?
Many think the answer is obvious: we ought to cut immoral people out of our lives. But that isn’t necessarily the best option
by Yiran Hua
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
Why we should treat caffeine like the brain-altering drug it is
Like billions of people, I use caffeine. But there is a glaring double standard in the drugs we stigmatise or celebrate
by Jonathan Simone
A little Japanese trick for saying ‘no’
If an outright refusal feels rude but you don’t want to have to explain, here’s how to say ‘no’ the Japanese way
by Richard Fisher
Notes to self
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Videos
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A kaleidoscope? A milestone? Beyond description? Women put orgasms into words
Two lives drift apart and come together in a love story told one brush stroke at a time
In an elegy for his childhood home, a filmmaker constructs a lyrical collage of memory
High in the Alps, Kathleen takes extraordinary steps to keep a pet safe through the winter
A dancing NBA superfan on the joy of spaces that let us go wild and get weird
Dreamlike fragments capture the pain and beauty of a father-daughter bond
More than a mugshot
As a crime reporter, I wrote about people behind bars. I learned much more when I began writing to them
by Amelia Arvesen
My swindler sweetheart
I was a pushover with a habit of picking cheating men as boyfriends; then one of them pushed me too far
by Patricia Olsen
The daughter I never had
I loved my three sons but still yearned for a girl. Why did this fill me with such shame?
by Emma Wilkins
Why we should treat caffeine like the brain-altering drug it is
Like billions of people, I use caffeine. But there is a glaring double standard in the drugs we stigmatise or celebrate
by Jonathan Simone
Whispers in the wind
How I learned to hear the voice of my ancestors and speak Lenape, a language silenced for generations
Krista Nelson, as told to Dawn Fallik
Is it wrong to be good friends with a bad person?
Many think the answer is obvious: we ought to cut immoral people out of our lives. But that isn’t necessarily the best option
by Yiran Hua
Dog day blues
We were a new stepfamily, and only the puppy was missing. With Elsa, we lobbed a grenade into the mix
by Lily Dunn
Asteroid economics: why we’re shopping our way through Armageddon
We must escape the psychological trap where grave warnings about existential threats trigger ever more destructive behaviour
by M I Krueger
Why do we hesitate to talk about our own good deeds?
Disclosing acts of kindness could encourage even more altruism – if we can find a way around the awkwardness
by Jerry Richardson
Money
When an investment tanked and buried us in debt, we had to face the truth of how we’d gotten there
by Carol Berkower
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
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
Our relationships, in five dimensions
Scientists offer a new way to compare and contrast social ties – like a ‘Big Five’ for relationships
by Matt Huston
Dangerous things
Like the red-eyed tree frog tadpoles, my son and I fell into a new beginning
by Heather Swan
When talking brings you relief, brain syncing may be at work
Something curious happens in two people’s brains during supportive interactions. It could help explain their emotional power
by Yarden Avnor & Simone Shamay-Tsoory