Popular Notes to Self

Recommendations and insights based on research, books, films and more

People in a small, well-lit Japanese restaurant or bar, with a menu on the wall and beverages on the counter.

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

A person drinking next to a large poster depicting steaming coffee cups on a green background.
JOY

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

Three people chatting at a rustic bar in a pub, with a brick interior and various decorations.

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

A man stands in a modern room looking at a large pink sculpture of tentacles outside the window.

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

People dancing at an outdoor festival, colourful tents in background, clear blue sky overhead.
MUSIC

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

Photo of a man in profile with glasses, eyes closed, head tilted back under a structure with a grid-like roof.

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

Pencil sketches of six faces and profiles on paper including bearded men and a woman with hair tied back.

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

A mountain peak with a walking path and hikers, under a clear blue sky with scattered clouds.

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

A group of office workers turned to face a colleague, clapping and smiling, in a modern meeting room setting.

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

Two colourful birds on a branch one with wings spread against a blurred background.

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

Photo of a person reading Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” with a red decorative cover while sitting near a window.

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

A man with white hair in a suit sitting at the head of an empty boardroom table, facing forward, back toward the camera. Dozens of empty chairs line the outer edges of the room; windows at the rear of the room show trees outside.

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

Painting of a bearded man lying on a wooden bed with a patterned robe, resting his head on his hand, slippers on floor.

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

A traffic light showing a green transgender symbol in front of a historic city square with statues and buildings.

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

A smiling runner in a yellow shirt high-fiving a cheering crowd on a street lined with buildings and trees.

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

Black and white photo of soldiers and damaged tanks under trees in a wartime setting. One soldier crouches in the foreground.

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