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Stories and literature

An ancient Greek clay jug with red stripes and inscriptions against a dark background.

Communication and language

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I am an article about the speaking objects of ancient Greece

Talkative drinking cups and threatening oil flasks tell us how the written word asserted its authority in an oral society

by Teddy Fassberg

People sitting and walking through a city square on a sunny day, with a red brick building and large advertising posters covering other buildings.

Stories and literature

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Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back

Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative

by Karen Simecek

A young couple in handcuffs lean against a 1950s police car beneath a brooding prairie sky

Mind and brain

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What films and literature reveal about the voice in your head

Inner speech is mysterious and hard to study. But movie voiceovers and introspective novels offer fresh ways to understand it

by Shayla Love

A woman is grappling with another woman who has a bloody nose

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

A dark, moody painting of a cloaked figure with a faint smile, partially illuminated, and a small, grimacing animal-like face on their shoulder.

Sex and sexuality

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My take on ‘Venus in Furs’ as a modern-day dominatrix

My experiences as a 21st-century femdom echo the gendered themes that feature in Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel

by Gia Marcos

An illustration of two deer running in a forest, surrounded by text in a historical script, bordered in red.

Grief

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After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale

Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things

by Veronica Menaldi

A girl is shown reading from a device in her hand, her face illuminated by the screen’s light

Technology and media

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What does switching from paper to screens mean for how we read?

It’s well established that we absorb less well when reading on screen. But why? And can we do something to improve it?

by Lili Yu, Sixin Liao, Jan-Louis Kruger & Erik D Reichle

Ancient stone carving of a woman standing beside intricately decorated circular patterns and floral motifs, with ruins in the background.

Sacred places

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Why Indian Buddhism has gardens, not monasteries

Wishing trees, jewels, unfading flowers – what place do these sensual pleasures have in the ascetic life of Buddhist monks?

by Simran Agarwal

A man with a serious expression sits at a table, eating, wearing a black and white polo shirt, with a bottle and food items in the foreground.

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

Close-up of a person with glasses looking at a computer screen displaying lines of code, with code text reflected on the glasses.

Consciousness

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The myth of machine consciousness makes Narcissus of us all

The idea that AI can be conscious is a mistake. It’s just a very shiny mirror of humanity, reflecting what we want to see

by David Bentley Hart

Vintage image of a woman and a man looking fearful in front of sheet music, while a shadowy figure with a gun and bouquet looms in the background.

Stories and literature

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Why the concept of invisibility so captivates the imagination

From ancient fables to the latest science theory, invisibility represents some of humankind’s deepest fears and desires

by Greg Gbur

Stories and literature

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Reading books is not just a pleasure: it helps our minds to heal

Through my own struggles and in teaching bibliotherapy to students, I know that books can help to heal minds and hearts

by Peter Leyland