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Psyche’s most popular articles and videos

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COMPASSION AND EMPATHY

How to make someone feel seen and heard

Validation skills are not only useful for therapists. Learn them and you’ll improve your personal and work relationships

by Caroline Fleck

A young boy smiling, resting his chin on his hands, looking at a marshmallow on a table.

FOCUS AND ATTENTION

What the marshmallow test got wrong about child psychology

Self-control, grit, growth mindset – trendy skills won’t transform children’s lives, but more meaningful interventions can

by Tyler W Watts

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Is being single a happier experience for women or men?

More people than ever are going solo. We identified a gender difference that hints at the ingredients needed to enjoy it

by Elaine Hoan & Geoff MacDonald

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EMOTION REGULATION

How to tolerate annoying things

Hassles are part of life, but the way we react often makes them worse. ACT skills can help you handle them with greater ease

by Patricia E Zurita Ona

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FOCUS AND ATTENTION

How to alter the passage of time to feel fast or slow

Knowing the psychology behind why moments drag or whizz by can give you a degree of control over your experience of time

by Martin Wiener

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For a happier life, we must balance two old psychological needs

Personal autonomy is abundant in the modern world. As a result, many of us get what we want but not what we need

by William von Hippel

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THINKERS AND THEORIES

‘Man cannot stand a meaningless life’ – a conversation with Carl Jung at 84

Video by Face to Face

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Is it wrong to be good friends with a bad person?

Many think the answer is obvious: we ought to cut immoral people out of our lives. But that isn’t necessarily the best option

by Yiran Hua

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MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA

How to build a memory palace

Upgrade your ability to recall dates, names or other details with an ancient trick of the memory trade: the ‘method of loci’

by Lynne Kelly

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How to make a long-distance relationship work

Whether an hour or an ocean apart, there will be challenges, but this therapist shows how to make the most of the upsides

by Charlie Huntington

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How to thrive as a highly sensitive person

In this noisy world, being highly sensitive is a challenge. But learn to manage overwhelm and you can reap the upsides too

by Jadzia Jagiellowicz

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WORRY AND RUMINATION

What if your worry problem is really a planning problem?

Clinicians have long recognised the link between worry and planning. New research asks what this means for managing anxiety

by Paul B Sharp

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THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE

Why do beautiful people also seem smart and likeable?

Psychologists have known about the ‘halo effect’ for ages. New research suggests the power of language can help explain it

by Chris F Westbury & Daniel King

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DEATH AND DYING

The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

A woman and dog standing in a cobblestone street, by an outdoor travel advertisement showing a plane wing and sunset.

EMOTION REGULATION

How to resist everyday temptations

Acting on impulse often feels good at first, but brings trouble later. Understanding these urges can help you control them

by Peggilee Wupperman

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COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

What to do when someone goes on the defensive

Our natural impulses often make matters worse. Here’s an approach that works, grounded in conflict resolution and psychology

by Adar Cohen & Nick Wignall