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Film

Photo of a man with a serious expression sitting at a table holding a fork in a kitchen setting.

Stories and literature

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What is it about film and TV antiheroes that’s so captivating?

They’re entertaining, of course – but research highlights a deeper psychological reason viewers are drawn to the bad guys

by Ana Gantman & Jordan Wylie

Scene from a film with three men indoors, one holding a computer mouse. A badge reads “I quit smoking.”

Technology and media

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What the journey from Star Trek to Siri says about our culture

The talking computer in Star Trek takes the culture and technology of the present and dreams up future possibilities

by Liz W Faber

A film still of a woman, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games movie franchise, with a braid standing in a transparent elevator looking out with a thoughtful expression.

Film

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Hollywood’s fixation on the wrong stories won’t help our world

Today’s global problems are caused by broken systems, but the studios still feed us a diet of movies focused on individuals

by Namir Khaliq

A fictional character with pale skin and no nose looks up in a dim, atmospheric setting, photo from a film scene.

Personality

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Immersion in fictional worlds allows us to own our dark side

Our liking for fictional villains such as Voldemort tells us something about the dark side of our own personalities

by Rebecca Krause-Galoni

Photo of a woman with curly hair comforting an injured woman in a crowd, whose nose is bleeding.

Stories and literature

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Fiction has a special power to give us insight into our flaws

Losing yourself in a book, film or show provides a useful mirror for character – one that is hard to access in real life

by Martina Orlandi

Black and white photo of five women joyfully driving an open car wearing hats surrounded by trees and hills.

Film

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Why was a laughing woman seen as lethal, not least to herself?

When early cinema weaponised the sight of women’s laughter, it borrowed from flawed psychiatric ideas about female hysteria

by Maggie Hennefeld

Illustration of a giant camera with a set inside, showing a person filming and another entering, with autumn leaves and street lamps outside.

Socioeconomics of mental health

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The therapeutic power in learning to make a film together

A collaboration among workers in India showed the power of making and discussing films for sharing life’s inner challenges

by Varun Kurtkoti