Ideas

Expert insights, perspectives and provocations to stimulate your mind
Black and white photo of medical staff handling a patient’s leg wearing gloves, an intravenous line is visible.

Dignity isn’t bestowed, it must be continually practised

Reckoning with the complex history of dignity reveals its fragility and what Hannah Arendt recognised as its conditionality

by Christa Teston

A woman selecting vegetables at an outdoor market stall with assorted greens and carrots available for sale.

Is choosing food and medicine based on naturalness a good idea?

Understanding the intuitive power of the word ‘natural’ could help inform choices about what to eat or what to do when ill

by Brian Meier

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LOVE
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Why being ghosted is inevitable and being a ghoster is too

Being ghosted can feel shocking. But we need to get used to it because there’s no other way to cope with our world

by Dominic Pettman

Pointillist painting of a vibrant tree with colourful foliage and textured background in a natural setting.

Perception is a process of inference, not an account of ‘reality’

Video by Aeon

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LOVE

More than laissez-faire love – demystifying modern polyamory

Photo of doughnuts with white icing and colourful sprinkles on a pink background.

‘Sonic branding’ and other ways food marketing keeps you hooked

Ethereal photo of a person lying down under a blue haze with ghostly hands reaching towards them.

When dreams touch reality – the liminal world of sleep paralysis

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The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

A close-up view of a cheeseburger with multiple beef patties, melted cheese and crispy onion rings.

Guilty pleasures are more than just giving in to temptation

Psychologists are discovering what’s going on when you do something you enjoy, but also feel weird or embarrassed about

by LaCount ‘JJ’ Togans

A cyclist in a red jacket on a winding rural road surrounded by autumnal trees with misty hills in the background.

Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form

In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from

by Ross White

Photo of a group of young people taking a selfie with a smartphone outdoors in a busy urban setting.

Is narcissism really on the rise among younger generations?

A fresh investigation of vast numbers of young people from around the world has thrown up some surprising results

by Jakob Pietschnig & Sandra Oberleiter

A woman wearing a black gown and veil, and gold and turquoise jewellery raises her harms with eyes closed; musicians wearing headdresses play drums in the background in a dimly lit setting.

What rituals from the past teach us about panic and anxiety

In the sensory and communal modes of healing that people have used throughout history, there is guidance for today

by Mariem El-Kady

Black and white photo of two blurred men passing a weathered statue of a reclining man in a courtyard setting.

Why are we curious about some things and indifferent to others?

Many of us crave trivial details while ignoring much of the world around us. Research helps explain this selective curiosity

by Tommy Blanchard

Black and white photo of a man in glasses and a suit speaking, seated indoors with window blinds in the background.

Can an entire society be mentally ill? A perspective from 1960

Video by The Search for America

A pair of white trainers with a black tick Nike logo against a wooden floor, sunlight casting a shadow behind.

Why some healthy habits still take so much effort

Contrary to classic habit science, certain behaviours never become easy. Recognising this can help you stick with them

by Blair Saunders & Kimberly R More

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Black and white photo of a crow perched on a post against a snowy background.

The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

A close-up view of a cheeseburger with multiple beef patties, melted cheese and crispy onion rings.

Guilty pleasures are more than just giving in to temptation

Psychologists are discovering what’s going on when you do something you enjoy, but also feel weird or embarrassed about

by LaCount ‘JJ’ Togans

A cyclist in a red jacket on a winding rural road surrounded by autumnal trees with misty hills in the background.

Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form

In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from

by Ross White

A city street with reflections on a window showing cars, people and a grocery sign with a Coca-Cola advertisement.

Heidegger knew that we are always outside, weathering the storms

We aren’t safe inside separate minds. Being-in-the-world means we’re entangled and vulnerable – and that’s how we flourish

by Katherine Withy

Black and white photo of a person reflected in a window with motion blur and trees visible outside.

What your mind’s blank moments reveal about consciousness

Scientists are uncovering the nature of an elusive mental experience that challenges what it means to be conscious

by Thomas Andrillon

A smartphone with app icons visible inside an open wooden drawer with red cables partially visible.

Curious about a digital ‘detox’? Here’s what you should know

For many who are chronically connected, a break from tech sounds appealing. Research is uncovering when and how it helps

by Kostadin Kushlev

A cyclist in a red jacket on a winding rural road surrounded by autumnal trees with misty hills in the background.

Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form

In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from

by Ross White

Photo of flight crew in blue uniforms waving in front of a parked aeroplane on a runway, with people in the background.

We’re losing trust in civic institutions – can we get it back?

Historically, trust in institutions freed us to do extraordinary things. They can be flawed, but we lose them at our peril

by Ros Taylor

Street scene in India with people, bullock carts and shops, showing a bustling atmosphere.

Tolerance isn’t just nice, it’s a civic virtue we all can build

At a time of rising intolerance, the century-old work of C E M Joad reminds us what tolerance really is and why we need it

by Kiran Kumbhar

Black and white photo of two blurred men passing a weathered statue of a reclining man in a courtyard setting.

Why are we curious about some things and indifferent to others?

Many of us crave trivial details while ignoring much of the world around us. Research helps explain this selective curiosity

by Tommy Blanchard

A pair of white trainers with a black tick Nike logo against a wooden floor, sunlight casting a shadow behind.

Why some healthy habits still take so much effort

Contrary to classic habit science, certain behaviours never become easy. Recognising this can help you stick with them

by Blair Saunders & Kimberly R More

Black and white photo of a crow perched on a post against a snowy background.

The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

Black and white photo of a person walking on a wavy striped surface creating an optical illusion.

Reality shifting opens portals to the weirdness of our world

It’s easy to denounce ‘reality shifting’ as a shared delusion. But there is value in making the world feel unfamiliar

by Ed Simon

A tree-lined path in autumn with people walking and sitting on benches, covered by colourful foliage.

The existential struggle between being a ‘we’ and an ‘us’

Sartre’s phenomenology reveals how a shift from subject to object (and back) is not merely a matter of grammar

by Tris Hedges

A woman wearing a black gown and veil, and gold and turquoise jewellery raises her harms with eyes closed; musicians wearing headdresses play drums in the background in a dimly lit setting.

What rituals from the past teach us about panic and anxiety

In the sensory and communal modes of healing that people have used throughout history, there is guidance for today

by Mariem El-Kady

A bustling food stall at dusk with bright signs advertising burgers, curly fries and sausages against a darkening sky.

The Ozempic era should change how we think about self-control

Struggling to manage weight can seem like a failure of raw willpower. GLP-1 drugs highlight how misguided that view is

by Matthew C Haug

Illuminated currency symbols yen, pound and dollar in red, orange and purple on a textured background.

Blame the ‘greedy bastards’, and you protect the greedy systems

The most vehement and damaging charges of ‘greed’ get directed at precisely those who are being stripped of everything

by David Keen

A collapsed apartment building leaning between other damaged buildings in twilight

Do you weave historical events into your own life story?

Some people watch history pass by. Others high in ‘historical consciousness’ truly live it – and seem to benefit as a result

by Şebnem Ture

A close-up view of a cheeseburger with multiple beef patties, melted cheese and crispy onion rings.

Guilty pleasures are more than just giving in to temptation

Psychologists are discovering what’s going on when you do something you enjoy, but also feel weird or embarrassed about

by LaCount ‘JJ’ Togans