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Relationships, work and leisure

Photo of four men embracing on a beach at night with colourful lights blurred in the background.

Gender

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Too many men lack close friendships. What’s holding them back?

Some masculine norms are a straightjacket, depriving men of the connections they need. It takes bravery to leave them behind

by Angelica Puzio Ferrara

A group of people shown through reflective surfaces creating a layered effect, one wears a purple ribbon.

Communication and language

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To have deeper conversations, try being more of an asshole

Conversation is a game with rules about politeness and norms. To move beyond small talk, you need to risk breaking them

by Idil Çakmur

Photo of a woman with tattoos taking a selfie on a smartphone wearing an off-shoulder dress in front of glass doors.

Virtues and vices

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Social comparison is driving us to despair. It doesn’t have to

In the social media age, it seems impossible not to measure ourselves against others – but we can dodge the worst pitfalls

by Wojciech Kaftański

World map illustration showing physical geography with oceans, continents and elevation.

Ethics

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What makes a map ‘good’? On the ethics of cartography

Rendering the world in a responsible way means wrestling with what gets depicted on a map, how, and for whom

by Nat Case

Painting with surreal figures including a fish-headed person and abstract human forms with a dark sky.

Communication and language

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Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works

Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech

by Elek Lane

Photo of a red taxi with passengers in an urban setting, a sign saying “Life is War” visible in the background.

Freedom and choice

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Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them

Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns

by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei

Photo of a pregnant woman in a pink vest and white skirt, holding a red bag, walking in an urban area.

Parenting and families

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Moving through the world pregnant, my body became everyone’s

And I knew that, once I became a mother, I would be only more visible, more public, more available for scrutiny

by Katie da Cunha Lewin

Photo of a woman playing with a smiling baby in a pram outside. The woman wears glasses and has her hair tied back.

Emotions

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Cuteness has a powerful pull, and it’s written all over your face

Our typical responses to cute things might seem cheery and unserious, but they signal something vital about us

by Makenzie O’Neil