The body and physical health
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
Communication and language
idea
What is the secret to an evocative smell description?
Many languages have very few odour-related words, so conveying what a scent is like requires knowing your audience
by Giulia Martina
Mind-body interactions
idea
Can a perfectionist personality put you at risk of migraines?
The hunt for a ‘migraine personality’ dates back over a hundred years and still it goes on. Why is the idea so alluring?
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
Body dysmorphic disorder
idea
Body dysmorphic disorder is common, yet widely misunderstood
What strikes someone with BDD as a glaring physical problem actually calls for a psychological solution
by Toni Pikoos
The body and physical health
idea
Practise ‘intuitive eating’ and feel a lot happier about food
Practise ‘intuitive eating’ and free yourself from worrying about food and the ricochet between dieting and indulging in it
by Charlotte H Markey
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
Emotion regulation
idea
Heartbreak is more than a metaphor. Are you at risk?
Heartbreak is more than a metaphor, but not everyone is at risk. Why does it kill some and spare others?
by Sian Harding
The body and physical health
idea
Even a single exercise session can help shift depression
The long-term benefits of regular exercise for mood are well-known. What’s surprising is that just one session can help
by Matthew Bourke & Rhiannon Patten
The body and physical health
idea
Studying tuberculosis in India, I saw the problem with cures
The ideal cure, a return to before the disorder or disease, can happen. But often that’s just not how bodies and life work
by Bharat Jayram Venkat
Pain
idea
Medicine has failed chronic pain patients. Here’s what they need
Modern healthcare has failed those in pain. It’s time to treat the whole patient with empathy, kindness – and the truth
by Haider Warraich
Eating disorders
idea
Body image distortions are a normal feature of mental life
Body image distortions can be severe in anorexia nervosa and bulimia, but they’re also a normal feature of mental life
by Matthew R Longo