A little Japanese trick for saying ‘no’
If an outright refusal feels rude but you don’t want to have to explain, here’s how to say ‘no’ the Japanese way
by Richard Fisher
Popular Notes to Self
Recommendations and insights based on research, books, films and more
Sleep is important, but not that important
It’s good that we’re taking sleep more seriously than we used to, but the messaging about its importance has gone too far
by Alice Gregory
A way to enjoy more positive mental images
Psychologists have tested a way to seed ‘involuntary positive mental images’ in the brain. You can try it for yourself
by Christian Jarrett
What style of curiosity do you practise?
New research shows that people satisfy their curiosity in different ways. Are you a hunter, a busybody or a dancer?
by Richard Fisher
The value of scribbling in the margins
Marginalia is far from inessential. It would be a shame if it died off in the digital age
by Richard Fisher
How slow breathing calms down your brain
Researchers studied the effect of slow breathing on people’s brain activity while they experienced anticipatory anxiety
by Christian Jarrett
Our relationships, in five dimensions
Scientists offer a new way to compare and contrast social ties – like a ‘Big Five’ for relationships
by Matt Huston
Where are you on the ‘happiness curve’?
When I came across the U-shaped happiness curve, I knew I had to act if I wanted to buck the midlife average
by Richard Fisher
Seeing all the parts of a tough situation
Taking a difficult experience and inspecting its elements might help us feel better about it
by Matt Huston
The eerie phenomenon that keeps popping up
Ever feel like a word or person you just learned about has been showing up repeatedly? There’s a term for that
by Hannah Seo
The beats that make us want to move
Some musical rhythms are built to get us bobbing, foot-tapping or dancing. Researchers show how rhythmic complexity matters
by Matt Huston
Why ‘false authenticity’ is so unsettling
The Old Town of Würzburg seemed to offer a real connection to the past. But none of it was authentic
by Sam Dresser
As if
Why we should embrace beliefs or stories that may not be, strictly speaking, true but are to some extent useful or good
by Sam Dresser
My year of slow-reading War and Peace
Reading a chapter a day of War and Peace shows how a manageable, regular habit can build into a much bigger accomplishment
by Freya Howarth
Are you saying ‘thank you’ too effusively?
Research suggests that people who express their gratitude more effusively are judged as lower status and less influential
by Christian Jarrett
The benefits of thinking about deep time
On a walk through the Welsh countryside, I travelled through 4.6 billion years of Earth history – and you can too
by Richard Fisher