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Bronze bust of a bearded man with curly hair, likely an ancient artefact, on a black background.

Emotion regulation

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The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul

Both neuroscience and psychotherapy agree that you can change your mental framework as the Stoic Marcus Aurelius described

by István Darabán

Coloured medical scan of human abdomen showing internal organs with blue and orange highlights, digital imaging.

Mind and brain

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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

Photo of a person with closed eyes and hands clasped, appearing thoughtful or in prayer, set against a dim background.

Spirituality and religion

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Spirituality is a brain state we can all reach, religious or not

Neuroscience shows that spiritual experiences are correlated with brain states that we can all aim for, religious or not

by Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan

Black and white photo of a person with a backpack standing in front of a textured glass surface, appearing to look through it.

Stigma and taboo

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Let’s avoid talk of ‘chemical imbalance’: it’s people in distress

The ‘chemical imbalance’ trope is appealing but dehumanising, and has heightened stigma towards people with mental illness

by Joseph E Davis

Digital rendering of a modern architectural space with wooden beams, suspended rooms and large windows, overlooking a green atrium.

Architecture

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How the buildings you occupy might be affecting your brain

Cutting-edge research in the field of neuroarchitecture is revealing the public health implications of building design

by Cleo Valentine & Heather Mitcheltree

Photo of a vibrant blue flower beside orange flowers with a blurred green background.

Mind and brain

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Slow down, it’s what your brain has been begging for

It’s no small task to live a life of sustained attention. So slow down, and give your brain a break to do its work

by Teodora Stoica

Photo of a person walking a dog on a forest path with sunlight streaming through trees.

Grief

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Seeing grieving as learning explains why the process takes time

Standard features of human memory and learning can help explain the disorientation that follows the death of a loved one

by Saren H Seeley & Mary-Frances O’Connor

Photo of a smiling person in vibrant attire and a large blue head wrap against a dark background.

Neuroscience

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The fascinating science of pleasure goes way beyond dopamine

Pleasure and happiness are too important for our mental health to be reduced to the single brain chemical dopamine

by Dean Burnett

Photo of a crowd at night, a woman in the front smiles with her hand on her chest, others hold lights in the background.

The self

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A stable sense of self is rooted in the lungs, heart and gut

Exciting new research findings are validating ancient folk beliefs that root the sense of self deep in the body’s organs

by Alessandro Monti

Photo of a person lying on a sofa, looking relaxed with eyes closed. They are wearing a grey jumper and holding their hair.

Brain interventions

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Mental disorders are brain disorders – here’s why that matters

The most vital quandary of mental health disorders and therapies today is not whether they change the brain but how

by Camilla Nord

Photo of a newborn baby wearing a pink wristband and clothes wrapped in a green blanket, sleeping peacefully.

Consciousness

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When does the first spark of human consciousness ignite?

We can’t ask babies what they’re feeling, but ingenious new methods are shedding light on the origins of subjective awareness

by Joel Frohlich

Night-time long exposure photo of a road with blurry, colourful light trails from car headlights and taillights against a dark background.

The self

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Sudden amnesia showed me the self is a convenient fiction

Sudden amnesia let me experience what Buddhists and philosophers have been saying all along about the existence of the self

by Steven Hales