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Habits and routines

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Photo of a stack of six sugar cookies on a marble surface with two cookies lying flat beside them against a dark background.

Emotion regulation

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The best way to exercise self-control is not to exercise it at all

Accept it: your self-control is weak. You’re more likely to reach long-term goals if you find ways to avoid temptation

by Laverl Z Williamson

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Thinking and intelligence

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Lost perspective? Try this linguistic trick to reset your view

By using ‘distanced self-talk’, you can leverage the structure of language to take a step back and see the bigger picture

by Ariana Orvell

Ancient marble relief sculpture of a young girl holding two birds, with intricate detailing of her hair and clothing.

Habits and routines

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Sprinkle a little ancient philosophy into your daily routines

Long before the psychology research was in, ancient philosophers knew the importance of spiritual exercise for wellbeing

by Joel Owen

Photo of emotional protesters raising hands and holding Catalan flags in a crowd during a demonstration.

History of emotions

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Neuroscience has much to learn from Hume’s philosophy of emotions

According to philosopher David Hume, it takes a lifetime to get our emotions right. Neuroscience has much to learn from him

by Richard C Sha

Photo of a man sitting on a porch playing a guitar. He is wearing jeans and a blue shirt. There is a small table with a plant nearby.

Compassion and empathy

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Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not self-indulgent to practise self-compassion. In fact, it helps you to care for others

by Christina Chwyl

Black-and-white photo of a woman with a bob haircut holding a pen, sitting at a desk with a typewriter and a telephone.

Personality

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Assertiveness is a virtue that anyone can develop with practice

You can’t stop people making demands on your time and energy, but you can develop assertiveness skills to protect yourself

by Rebecca Roache

Café scene with people seated at tables, a man cycling outside. Sunlight creates shadows.

Habits and routines

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In praise of habits – so much more than mindless reflexes

Rather than mindless mechanisms for routines, habits are a species of belief that display a great deal of intelligence

by Ian Robertson & Katsunori Miyahara

Running shoes, a rolled-up red yoga mat, a water bottle, and a portable speaker on a carpeted floor.

Goals and motivation

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To meet your goals, forget willpower and fill your toolbox

Achieving your goals has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with using the right mix of psychological tools

by Marina Milyavskaya

Four people sit on the side of the street at night, engrossed in their mobile phones, the screens casting light on their faces.

Knowledge and reason

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The antidote to fake news is to nourish our epistemic wellbeing

There’s more to wellbeing than physical and mental health: we also need epistemic wellbeing, or good access to knowledge

by Kenneth Boyd

In a dark room a woman is asleep under a duvet and a guitar is leaning against the wall

Sleep problems

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What to do when racing thoughts keep you up at night

Any attempts to escape your mind or make yourself sleep are likely to backfire. Try these expert tips instead

by Matt Huston

A kitchen with various items including a red coffee dripper on top of a glass, a strainer, a globe, a small clock, a cat-shaped dish, olive oil, soy sauce, pasta in a glass jar, and a reflective black surface.

Habits and routines

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Is it better to live in ‘clock time’ or ‘event time’?

Do you stick to a set schedule, or have a looser relationship to the clock? It can affect more than how you plan your day

by Shayla Love

A bowl containing a mobile phone, keychains, earrings, a key, and other small miscellaneous items.

Technology and media

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The pleasure, the pain and the politics of a digital detox

Studying why and how people take digital-media breaks can reveal what individuals and societies value in unmediated spaces

by Trine Syvertsen