Goals and motivation

Civic life
idea
You want people to do the right thing? Save them the guilt trip
If you want to inspire people to do the right thing, don’t guilt-trip them. Positive emotions are a more powerful motivator
by Claudia R Schneider

The self
idea
What makes some of us crave self-insight more than others?
Some people have a powerful desire to understand themselves, but their path to self-knowledge is rarely straightforward
by Christoph Heine

Focus and attention
guide
How to be indistractable
Stop blaming technology – distraction starts within. Manage your inner triggers to enjoy greater focus and a fuller life
by Nir Eyal

Dance
film
Bent out of shape by the surreal corporate dance towards success
Directed by Bear Damen

Worry and rumination
idea
What if your worry problem is really a planning problem?
Clinicians have long recognised the link between worry and planning. New research asks what this means for managing anxiety
by Paul B Sharp

Thinking and intelligence
idea
When a tricky task makes your brain hurt, here’s what to do
Although thinking hard is a daily experience, psychologists are only just beginning to understand how aversive it can be
by Todd Vogel

Learning and education
guide
How to learn a language (and stick at it)
Forget about fluency and how languages are taught at school: as an adult learner you can take a whole new approach
by John Gallagher

Sports and games
film
How an elite surfer followed the wave of his dreams back home to the Baltic Sea
A film by Maceo Frost, Henning Sandström & Freddie Meadows

Goals and motivation
idea
To meet your goals, forget willpower and fill your toolbox
Achieving your goals has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with using the right mix of psychological tools
by Marina Milyavskaya

Emotion regulation
idea
Wish you had more self-control? You should hear the downsides
Many people wish they had the advantages of more self-control. But fewer know that the trait can be costly, too
by Samantha Lapka & Franki Kung

Goals and motivation
guide
How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
by Luke Burgis

Dance
film
Nigeria’s first ballet school brings tutus and joy to the streets of Lagos
Directed by Jacob Krupnick