X CLOSE

Neuroscience

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

Emotion regulation

idea

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

Medical imaging scan showing the internal organs of a human torso, including intestines highlighted in blue and other organs in shades of red and orange.

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

Close-up photo of a person with closed eyes and hands pressed together in front of their face against a blurred background.

Spirituality and religion

idea

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

idea

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

idea

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

A close-up of a delicate blue flower next to a cluster of small yellow flowers, with a blurred green and yellow background.

Mind and brain

idea

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

Silhouetted person walking a dog on a misty wooded path with sunlight filtering through trees.

Grief

idea

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

Smiling woman wearing a blue headscarf looks to the side, with a black background and colourful patterned clothing.

Neuroscience

idea

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

A young woman with a hand on her chest, eyes closed and smiling, surrounded by a crowd at night, illuminated by lights.

The self

idea

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

Close-up of a person lying down on a sofa and looking away, their hand resting on their head.

Brain interventions

idea

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

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

The self

idea

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

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

Consciousness

idea

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