A white table with a smartphone and a white mug of coffee with a floral design, in a softly lit room.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Why we’re falling out of love with our AI confidants

Chatbots make us feel uniquely seen and heard, but then the ‘empathy gap’ kicks in and the relationship turns sour

by Joe Mullich

Intricate mosque dome with blue tiles and floral motifs photo. Arabic calligraphy surrounds the base with arched windows.
VALUES AND BELIEFS
1

Mosque and state

In post-Soviet Azerbaijan, religion was a hot new commodity. I bought into it, too

by Ilkin Huseynli

Close-up photo of a person’s face with closed eyes and freckles on their skin.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
5

How to know if your meditation is working

Traditional and tech-based methods can reveal what your practice is doing – and give you the confidence to stick with it

by Matt Fuchs

Ideas

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A large statue silhouetted on a yellow wall with a small boy in blue standing nearby on a sunlit street.
IDENTITY

Why we should embrace ‘nepantla’ – the in-betweenness of life

by Carlos Alberto Sánchez

Guides

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SOCIAL ANXIETY

How to network when you’re socially anxious

Do networking events fill you with dread? Here’s how to manage your fears, show up, and take advantage of the opportunities

by Fallon Goodman

An overgrown garden with a blue boat surrounded by tall grass, houses in the background and a wooden fence in the foreground.
GOALS AND MOTIVATION
2

Want things to go well? Plan like a defensive pessimist

So often we underestimate the time and effort required to reach our goals. You can avoid that trap with realistic planning

by Julie K Norem

Life stories

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Illustration of a smiling man with long hair, wearing a shirt, with a scenic background featuring buildings and people meditating.
MEANING AND THE GOOD LIFE
2

‘We are all always coming and going’

Steve Schwartzberg’s journey from Harvard psychologist to erotic healer, Buddhist and teacher was always haunted by death. Then he was diagnosed with terminal cancer

by Andrew Lawler

Editor’s picks

Colourful photo with three people in sunglasses. Blurred effect, room number 101 visible, two seated in the background.
DRUGS AND PSYCHEDELICS

How to have a safe psychedelic trip

A psychedelic experience can be deeply rewarding, but also carries real risks. Here’s how to avoid a bad trip

by Christian Jarrett

Painting of a stormy sea with a shipwreck, dramatic waves and a dark sky, conveying intense motion and chaos.
TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE

Your consciousness has been completely transformed. Now what?

Awakening experiences are spiritual states often believed to unlock life’s mysteries – but sacred knowledge comes at a cost

by Kevin Berryman

Latest videos

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Black and white photo of two people in a subway station, one walking left, another dancing, station name Dundas West.
Psyche Exclusive
DANCE

Dancing in public is deeply vulnerable. Emma does it anyway

A film by Kelly O’Brien and Emma O’Brien

Black-and-white vintage photo of Helen Keller in profile with eyes closed wearing a high-necked dress, hair in a bun.
MUSIC

Helen Keller’s blissful encounter with Beethoven’s Ninth

Close-up photo of a person’s face in profile wearing glasses looking out of a window, with reflections in the lenses.
OCD

Sexual OCD doesn’t fit the stereotypes. That compounds the pain

Abstract painting of hands on a table with a small dish vase and utensils in a stylised kitchen setting.
OCD

Adrift at sea, Nestor struggles to control the chaos within

Close-up photo of a woman in a beige top with hand on neck showing her back and shoulder against a light blue background.
DANCE

The relentless work behind the poise of a world-class dancer

Painting of legs in blue socks and shoes overlaid on an open book page with text, laid on a wooden surface.
GENDER

What’s a girl to do about leg hair? A playful exploration

Notes to self

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POETRY

Existential crisis? Try reading Wordsworth

by Sam Dresser

Popular

Close-up photo of a person’s face with closed eyes and freckles on their skin.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
5

How to know if your meditation is working

Traditional and tech-based methods can reveal what your practice is doing – and give you the confidence to stick with it

by Matt Fuchs

Photo of a crowded event with out-of-focus people in the background and sharply focused green and white flowers in the foreground.
SOCIAL ANXIETY

How to network when you’re socially anxious

Do networking events fill you with dread? Here’s how to manage your fears, show up, and take advantage of the opportunities

by Fallon Goodman

WISDOM
2

How to find your InnSæi

In uncertain times, an Icelandic concept can help you reconnect with your intuition and follow your inner compass

by Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir

Warm sunlight casting shadows on a wooden chest and a door inside a dimly lit room.
VISIONS AND MYSTICISM

A haunting in Brooklyn

At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost

by Kathleen Donohoe

Close-up video of a bicycle gear cassette with chain in movement, showing detailed metal texture and mechanical design.
FOCUS AND ATTENTION
9

No, willpower isn’t a muscle – here’s a better way to think of it

The muscle metaphor based on ego-depletion theory hasn’t survived scrutiny. But there’s an alternative that holds promise

by Alberto De Luca

An overgrown garden with a blue boat surrounded by tall grass, houses in the background and a wooden fence in the foreground.
GOALS AND MOTIVATION
2

Want things to go well? Plan like a defensive pessimist

So often we underestimate the time and effort required to reach our goals. You can avoid that trap with realistic planning

by Julie K Norem

A large statue silhouetted on a yellow wall with a small boy in blue standing nearby on a sunlit street.
IDENTITY

Why we should embrace ‘nepantla’ – the in-betweenness of life

In an age of strong political commitments, a Nahuatl word encapsulates the freedom to let go of what has become oppressive

by Carlos Alberto Sánchez

A large crowd of men in black attire participating in a procession with hands on heads, expressing emotion.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

Spirituality can’t be reduced to what’s happening in the brain

Seeing the ‘mind’ as extending beyond the head can help us better understand the nature of transcendent experiences

by Mohammadamin Saraei

Explore: Sadness and sorrow

A person pushing a bike through a muddy landfill with debris under an overcast sky, distant hills and houses.
DIFFICULT EMOTIONS
3

Despair can help us mourn lost futures and chart new paths

by Juliette Vazard

Illustration of a person carrying a child on shoulders under a tree with yellow leaves on a pink background.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Dreamlike fragments capture the pain and beauty of a father-daughter bond

Directed by Susi Haaning

Painting of a young woman in a black dress reclining on a red chair against a red wall holding a white handkerchief.
SADNESS AND SORROW
7

Avoiding sadness can backfire, here’s how to turn towards it

by Beth Kurland

Photo of a glass shattering on a grey surface with shards scattered mid-air and on the ground.
GRIEF
17

Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass

by Joshua Thomas

Abstract painting of intertwined human figures with organic shapes and muted colours, creating a surreal and dynamic composition.
SADNESS AND SORROW

When emotions rot, they compost and transform into something new

by Kelsey Day

Photo of a burning tower with smoke, reflects a man and woman standing nearby in an urban setting.
EMOTIONS
6

What it means for something to ‘sink in’ emotionally

by Matthew Ratcliffe