Happiness
![A painting of an older man with a beard smiling at a young woman with braided hair in a red dress, their heads close together.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fd45cb13-28a9-49f8-b79d-292070e3c819/rt-lucas_cranach_the_elder_the_ill-matched_couple_c_1530_25107898984.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Money and economics
idea
How your attitudes to money could be affecting your relationship
Do you see money as a way to gain freedom or status? If your partner takes a different view, there could be consequences
by Johanna Peetz
![Person sitting on an outdoor bench with a large map obscuring their face. They wear colourful, patterned trousers and hold a striped bag. Sunlight and shadows cover the ground. Three people walk past a white building with multiple windows in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/eb9d7d6c-83ff-4cd0-8092-01c743396f34/rt-rtsg7iy.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Thinking and intelligence
idea
A love for thinking brings benefits way beyond school and work
Having a passion for mental effort – a trait that’s distinct from being intelligent – has some wide-ranging upsides
by Josephine Zerna
![Person in an elephant costume standing inside a building near a mini cab office with signs advertising licensed minicabs.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9677846f-7dbd-423a-b695-223bab19f7e0/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Meaning and the good life
guide
How to be a happy nihilist
Exhausted by the modern pressure to squeeze meaning out of every moment? Here’s a radical way to reset your priorities
by Wendy Syfret
![Puppets with monkey faces in office attire, performing a synchronised dance in a cubicle-filled office setting, with computers and office supplies visible.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cb8357ac-cc20-4c6c-a262-94653c69cf15/the-burden-landscape-6.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Happiness
film
Humanoid animals sing through their existential angst in this madcap short
Directed by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr
![A woman with long blonde hair and a striped blue and yellow jumper takes a selfie, smiling broadly. Behind her, a living room is visible with a large potted plant, a grey couch, and wall shelves with small plants and decor items. A clock is fixed on the wall in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/a23ed02d-10de-488d-bcda-70e52b7ebc84/rt-final-gettyimages-1489498321.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Emotions
idea
What makes ‘toxic positivity’ different from a healthy attitude
Influencers and self-help gurus are preaching a form of positive psychology that risks doing more harm than good
by Lucas Dixon
![Three older men in cheerful mood are inside a bar or pub with painted red walls](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/506ba405-720e-436c-a7ca-30ede81b2569/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Friendship
idea
Is it better to have friends who are like you or different from you?
Studies of longterm friends offer surprising insights as to whether friends who are more or less alike tend to endure
by Christian Jarrett
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c1544b9c-4e96-41b6-a73f-42620b453d49/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Laughter and comedy
guide
How to laugh more
You don’t have to wait to be amused, there are ways to train yourself to enjoy the ‘cheap medicine’ of laughter every day
by Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky
![Two puppets in silver spacesuits lie against a starry backdrop, surrounded by makeup items. One puppet has short black hair, the other has bright green hair.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/d658b244-400a-4b11-a1a3-13f4a40da999/blush_still5.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Friendship
film
Fatu treks into the glamorous unknown during his first outing in makeup
Directed by Iiti Yli-Harja
![A smiling family hold hands and play on a sunny beach with their retriever dog](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/dcbfb911-9080-41f6-845c-130997818bdc/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Happiness
idea
As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen how chasing happiness leads to misery
My clinical work has shown me that happiness is a ghost that’s not worth pursuing – there are far wiser goals in life
by Rafa Euba
![Two women dressed in pink and white rabbit outifts drink a beer outside a subway station entrance. One of them looks glum](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fa0c2e25-daf3-41bb-9ee1-c0590de812a8/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Personality
idea
To improve your life, consider changing your personality
New research supports the idea that intentionally developing certain traits is not only possible, but comes with benefits
by Christian Jarrett
![A man and woman sit by a calm lake during dusk, with mountains in the background and a dog resting near the woman.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/33c4b7ac-d8d7-4632-be3f-2d0c3fd3d7f7/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Home
film
Life on Bruny Island, population 750, is suffused with trade-offs and joys
Directed by Guido Pezz