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A muslim woman in a colourful orange sari reaches up to touch a decorative panel above a shrine

Mental health across cultures

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Why a Sufi approach to healing mental illness is so powerful

In Sufi shrines, rituals offer sufferers a path beyond the fear and isolation of their mental distress

by Bhrigupati Singh

A group of school children in high-vis vests walk alongside a harbour wall beneath a blue sky

Learning and education

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Lessons about learning from ancient Greek philosophers

What Aristotle and Epicurus can teach us about learning through collaboration, movement, place and embodiment

by Tom Bielik

Sleep and dreams

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How to embrace being a lark or an owl

Skip the advice about training yourself to rise early or burn the midnight oil. Your natural rhythms are your best guide

by Shayla Love

Stories and literature

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What is it about film and TV antiheroes that’s so captivating?

They’re entertaining, of course – but research highlights a deeper psychological reason viewers are drawn to the bad guys

by Ana Gantman & Jordan Wylie

A smiling family hold hands and play on a sunny beach with their retriever dog

Happiness

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As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen how chasing happiness leads to misery

My clinical work has shown me that happiness is a ghost that’s not worth pursuing – there are far wiser goals in life

by Rafa Euba

The body and physical health

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A wildly imaginative exploration of what movement means to someone without it

Directed by Mathieu Labaye

Sports and games

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Sport shows how to use performance benchmarks in a positive way

IQ scores and other contextless benchmarks are suffocating and misleading. We should look to sport for a healthier approach

by Leif Weatherby

Music

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How to discover new music

In a musical rut? Whatever your age or existing tastes, you can find surprise and enjoyment beyond the streaming algorithms

by James Hadfield

Stigma and taboo

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The families of people who commit sex crimes need care and support

While they deal with a kind of grief, the relatives of those who harm others sexually are subject to blame and judgment

by Azadeh Nematy

Emotions

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Some emotions seem to be more ‘elastic’ than others

New research findings suggest that guilt behaves like an on-off switch whereas anger is more elastic and dial-controlled

by Matt Huston

Sports and games

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Passion, agility, invisibility – do you have what it takes to become a ball person?

Directed by Scott Lazer

Decision-making

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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