IQ scores are falling but, no, we’re not growing more stupid
Screens and social media get the blame, but the real problem lies in how we measure intelligence in the first place
by Stuart Jeffries
How to date again after an abusive relationship
You might feel unlovable or find dating daunting, but you deserve connection – and you can find it safely at your own pace
by Charlotte Jarvis
Body of water
In the pool, my softer, heavier self rediscovered motion and power – proof that this body, too, can swim
by Sarah Boon
Ideas
View all
Guides
View all
How to reclaim your attention
Psychological minimalism is a way to clarify your life by cutting the mental noise from your environment and routines
by Yousri Marzouki
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
Life stories
View all
‘Each of us has a song’
Burhan Sönmez, now the president of PEN International, was a rising human rights lawyer in Turkey. A brutal assault nearly killed him – and propelled him to a life in literature
by Kaya Genç
Editor’s picks
How to appreciate what you have
To better face an imperfect world, try a deeper reflection on the things, people and legacies that make your life possible
by Avram Alpert
A life of splendid uselessness is a life well lived
Like the fertile soil of a well-kept garden, a life of splendid, utter uselessness yields abundance beyond our immediate aims
by Joseph M Keegin
Latest videos
View all
After a crash, a ‘wingwalker’ learns to love flying again
Directed by Max Henderson
How queer last rites became unique celebrations of life
Don’t avoid stressors. Learn to navigate the stress spectrum
An unlikely chat transforms a father-daughter relationship
Dancing in public is deeply vulnerable. Emma does it anyway
Helen Keller’s blissful encounter with Beethoven’s Ninth
Sexual OCD doesn’t fit the stereotypes. That compounds the pain
Notes to self
View all
Popular
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
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
How to reclaim your attention
Psychological minimalism is a way to clarify your life by cutting the mental noise from your environment and routines
by Yousri Marzouki
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
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
What helps you feel better might depend on where you grew up
Research on the common strategies used to deal with emotions suggests their usefulness differs from culture to culture
by Mark Chen
Why the search for proof can’t be separated from faith
Rather than being an enemy of empiricism, belief in what can’t be known is part of how we gain knowledge, even now
by Adam Kucharski
The hard art of comfort
Sick in a London hospital, I understood the Book of Job and his rage at all the miserable comforters
by Lisa Simone Kingstone
Explore: Joy
Bad art, good laughs – a street portraitist’s lacklustre work animates a city
Directed by Rosie Baldwin
Beauty is woven into everyday life for the quilters of the American West
A film by Carly Jakins and Jared Jakins
A club for ‘dull men’ may just inspire you to see the unremarkable anew
Directed by Andy Oxley