Values and beliefs
Compassion and empathy
idea
Many of us have the wrong idea about poverty and toughness
The ‘thick skin bias’ obscures the reality of hardship. We should check our assumptions about those who are struggling
by Nathan Cheek
Identity
idea
I rebuilt my self-esteem by changing the story of who I am
I once clung to a dubious family legend to help me cope with a difficult childhood. I’ve since found a better story to tell
by Patricia Olsen
Spirituality and religion
idea
UFO belief is a modern outlet for ancient spiritual yearnings
Even when it’s not explicitly religious, belief in alien visitors resembles our oldest ways of making sense of the world
by Francesco Dimitri
Grief
idea
After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale
Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things
by Veronica Menaldi
Childhood and adolescence
idea
At what point does the Santa myth become a harmful deception?
Exactly when and how children discover they’ve been duped makes an important difference to the revelatory experience
by Shayla Love
Knowledge and reason
idea
How Nietzsche’s insights can help fight fanaticism
Fanatical thinking is based on a narrative of resentment toward outgroups. Nietzsche offers two ways of changing the script
by Paul Katsafanas
Life stages
idea
Legal definitions aside – what makes you think you’re an adult?
Achieving adult status is a momentous part of life. Our research suggests getting there takes more than years or milestones
by Megan Wright
Decision-making
idea
Stereotypes might not be as powerful as psychologists assumed
Research on first impressions suggests that people’s behaviour can trump any biased assumptions we might make about them
by Shayla Love
Sacred places
idea
Paganism is a potent force in Ireland’s conservation movement
Long-held beliefs in an ‘Otherworld’ inhabited by wrathful fairies are now driving a resurgence in Irish eco-activism
by Juju Lane
Change and self-development
idea
What can we learn from those who have a moral change of heart?
Stories of sharp adjustments in moral perspective show the potential of unusual experiences to open people’s minds
by Joshua May
Depression
idea
What’s going on in depression to make negative beliefs so sticky?
Understanding why negative views persist in the face of contradictory evidence could help inform depression treatment
by Tobias Kube
Civic life
idea
It’s not only political conservatives who worry about moral purity
You might think the political Right is more focussed on morals than the Left. But purity is a pervasive political value
by Kurt Gray, Will Blakey & Nicholas DiMaggio