Mind and brain
Spirituality and religion
idea
A monk showed me that spirituality needs more space in medicine
As a doctor, I’ve seen how brain diseases can become entwined with spiritual pain. Who is responsible for addressing it?
by Michael P H Stanley
Death and dying
idea
Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died
These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process
by Shayla Love
Mind and brain
idea
What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen?
They’ve been studied by researchers and recruited by police forces, but what’s it actually like to be a super-recogniser?
by Shayla Love
History of ideas
idea
I smell, therefore I am. On the philosophy of the olfactory
To truly grip us, philosophy must engage with the practical and animalistic. It’s time to stop turning its nose up at smell
by Simon Hajdini
The self
idea
Boost your self-understanding with a navigational approach
Physical and mental navigation involve overlapping brain processes, casting new light on the notion of an ‘inner journey’
by Mykyta Kabrel
Communication and language
idea
These are the mental processes required to tell a convincing lie
The cognitive work involved in lying is relevant to lie detection and could help explain why some people are better liars
by Molly MacMillan
Mind and brain
idea
This is how your brain distinguishes reality from imagination
In terms of brain activity, imagining something is very similar to seeing it, so why don’t you confuse the two more often?
by Shayla Love
The body and physical health
idea
How ‘stirrings of the heart’ shape your experience of time
New research is showing the embodied nature of time perception and how it can fluctuate in tune with the heart’s beats
by Shayla Love
Imagination
idea
In the architecture of the mind, where lies human imagination?
In the architecture of the mind, is imagination a built-in structural feature or a result of cognitive remodelling work?
by Michael Omoge
Mind and brain
idea
To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut
A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical
by James M Shine
Mind and brain
idea
Why do we make snap judgments based on facial appearance?
Even snap judgments that appear at a very early age can be inculcated by the imagery and messages shared within a culture
by Richard Cook & Harriet Over
Stories and literature
idea
There is an unseen smuggling operation between fiction and reality
Fiction is not quarantined from reality, as experts have long proposed. There is constant trade between the two worlds
by Daniele Molinari, Valentina Petrolini & Wolfgang Huemer