Pleasures and pastimes

A blue bowl with quinoa, chickpeas, chopped onions, greens and a wooden spoon on a dark background.

FOOD AND DRINK

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

Illustration of a person with eyes closed, surrounded by colourful waves and geometric shapes on an orange background.

ANXIETY

Stressed about a date or an interview? Video games may offer a surprising salve

Video by the University of California

Photo of a man holding a hand-drawn sketch of himself on a city street, wearing a blazer with a colourful patch.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

Bad art, good laughs – a street portraitist’s lacklustre work animates a city

Directed by Rosie Baldwin

Tomato plants with red and green tomatoes in a garden setting against a blurred background of a building and grass.

NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

How to start growing your own food

A vegetable garden is more than a source of sustenance – it’s a psychological sanctuary. Here’s how to create your own

by Gary Pilarchik

A man looking through the scope of a rifle in a crowded exhibition with mounted deer heads in the background.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

My husband, the gun nut

Three years into a blissful relationship, my partner picked up a hobby that sent me spiralling

by Lindsey Harrington

Photo of a person reading Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” with a red decorative cover while sitting near a window.

HABITS AND ROUTINES

My year of slow-reading War and Peace

Reading a chapter a day of War and Peace shows how a manageable, regular habit can build into a much bigger accomplishment

by Freya Howarth

People on a boat deck taking a selfie against a city skyline with clear blue sky, towels and sun hats visible.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

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

Woman in a white dress standing in front of a geometric quilt in a garden setting with trees in the background.

TRADITIONAL ARTS

Beauty is woven into everyday life for the quilters of the American West

A film by Carly Jakins and Jared Jakins

Painting of a cafe interior with a person sitting alone holding a cup tables stacked chairs on checkered floor.

EMOTION REGULATION

Solitude can be profoundly restorative. Here’s how to savour it

Time alone offers unique psychological benefits, once you learn to embrace these quiet moments rather than escape them

by Thuy-vy Nguyen

Photo of a person in vibrant traditional attire with an orange headwrap singing on stage, another in shadow to the side.

MUSIC

How to get hooked on opera

Aspects of opera can seem strange. But give it a try and you’ll soon find yourself absorbed in a truly magical experience

by Alexandra Wilson

Photo of young people sitting on a stone ledge outside a historic building, some using phones, with trees and red phone boxes.

TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Why teenagers are deliberately seeking brain rot on TikTok

Talking to teens reveals a hidden sophistication to their media use. Rather than policing it, maybe we could learn from it

by Emilie Owens

A large flock of birds fills the sky at dusk over a car park, where people with binoculars observe them from beside their vehicles.

PLACE

A makeshift community of people and migratory birds converge on a strip mall

Directed by Henry Davis

Photo of a woman jogging along a riverside path in an urban area with tall buildings under a partly cloudy sky.

GOALS AND MOTIVATION

So-called ‘SMART goals’ are a case of style over substance

From fitness to finance, the SMART goal-setting method is ubiquitous, but often detrimental. There are better approaches

by Christian Swann

Black and white photo of a man smiling next to a woman laughing at a formal event. Other guests visible in the background.

SEX AND SEXUALITY

Everything I know about flirting, I learned from the Cold War

The rewards of flirtation go beyond sex or romance. But, as in other exchanges, you have to know where the red line is

by Youngbin Yoon

Black-and-white photo of a woman smoking at an outdoor cafe at night with tables, a bicycle and streetlights in the background.

ADDICTION

You can want things you don’t like and like things you don’t want

The distinct neurochemistry of wanting and liking is helping to make sense of addiction – and more everyday behaviours

by Shayla Love

A knitted grey toy mouse holds a needle and repairs its own dress. Three balls of yarn lie nearby, alongside a small blue open book.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

A whimsical ode to the reparative power of knitting, rendered in wool

Directed by Samantha Moore