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 from our in-house writers, based on research, books, films and more
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
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
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
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
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
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
I’m trying a different approach to listening
Practising Carl Rogers’s unconditional positive regard helps me be more compassionate and less judgmental – of myself too
by Molly Williamson
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
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
Don’t fall victim to the Peter Principle
You mustn’t assume that the skills that served you well in the past will be enough for any new challenges that lie ahead
by Christian Jarrett
Forgetting in ancient Greece and China
Forgetting can be frustrating, even scary. The ancient Greeks certainly thought so. But Daoism offers a more hopeful view
by Sam Dresser
To see your home city anew, try this
See a city through a visitor’s eyes to capture feelings you’ve lost, or never had – it’s the vicarious construal effect
by Elena Seymenliyska
An unlikely meeting that shaped history
The diplomatic intervention by a philosopher on a president shows the extraordinary consequences of unlikely meetings
by Sam Dresser
What runners call the ‘pain cave’
Widely discussed in running circles, there’s a place you go when your body gives up and there’s only mental strength left
by Richard Fisher