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Thought-provoking articles about human nature from diverse thinkers

Thinking and intelligence

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When the human tendency to detect patterns goes too far

‘Apophenia’ is reflected in pleasant and troubling experiences alike – from seeing faces in clouds to conspiracy beliefs

by Shayla Love

As a man holds open one side of a double glass door, another man opens the other side. The glass in the doors is almost opaque

Disability

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Blindness transformed my social world, and I changed with it

One of the biggest challenges in becoming blind late in life has been overcoming sighted people’s negative assumptions

by Jeffry Ricker

Compassion and empathy

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Improve your relationships with the science of perspective-taking

Social psychology research is breaking down the process of perspective-taking and revealing ways to help us get along better

by Hunter Gehlbach

Emotion regulation

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The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul

Both neuroscience and psychotherapy agree that you can change your mental framework as the Stoic Marcus Aurelius described

by István Darabán

Communication and language

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Will studying a new language interfere with any others you speak?

Multilinguals say it feels as though learning another language interferes with old ones. New research put this to the test

by Shayla Love

Ageing

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Efforts to expand the lifespan ignore what it’s like to get old

As modern medicine extends the human lifespan, quality of life is not keeping up, raising thorny ethical dilemmas

by Robert S Gable

Learning and education

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This is how to nurture curiosity in children (and yourself)

The curiosity that comes naturally to babies and young children can soon wilt – but there are ways to help it grow

by Shayla Love

Memoir

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What I learned about coping and resilience from asteroid Bennu

After hitting an emotional low, I found myself identifying with an asteroid that looks deceptively solid on the outside

by Elizabeth Landau