Girl in the water
I’d saved someone from drowning. Had I done the right thing?
by James McConnachie
Relate
The bonds that tie us: family, friendships, love and community
Discarded
The end of a friendship cracked me apart, triggering hidden memories – and helping me heal old wounds
by Antonia Malchik
The loving tongue
In Spanish, I wasn’t the clumsy son of the town amputee. Learning the language catalysed my reinvention
by Timothy Hampton
How to handle a mismatch in sexual desire
A difference in sexual appetite is a common source of tension for couples. Don’t ignore it – turn toward it with curiosity
by Ann O’Brien
How to respond to offensive comments in a thoughtful way
When someone insults you or people you care about, this advice can help you figure out whether to speak up and what to say
by Alicia del Prado
Guides
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How to be an emotional leader
In times of change and pressure, a set of skills known as ‘psychological flexibility’ can help you and your team to thrive
by Selda Koydemir
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
Popular
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
How to be an emotional leader
In times of change and pressure, a set of skills known as ‘psychological flexibility’ can help you and your team to thrive
by Selda Koydemir
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
How do we start learning to ‘read’ other people’s minds?
Studies of young children give us insight into the building blocks of an ability that most of us use every day
by Josephine Ross & Martin Doherty
How to respond to offensive comments in a thoughtful way
When someone insults you or people you care about, this advice can help you figure out whether to speak up and what to say
by Alicia del Prado
There’s no good reason to love each other – and that’s a relief
Loving is an unreasonable decision (we are all extremely unpleasant little beasts) and that’s what allows it to survive
by John Kaag
It’s possible to become wiser in who you entrust with your love
Love is not merely irrational – there’s a sense in which it’s also based on reason, which means we can get better at it
by Joel Van Fossen
How to handle a mismatch in sexual desire
A difference in sexual appetite is a common source of tension for couples. Don’t ignore it – turn toward it with curiosity
by Ann O’Brien
Popular
View allHow 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
How to be an emotional leader
In times of change and pressure, a set of skills known as ‘psychological flexibility’ can help you and your team to thrive
by Selda Koydemir
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
How do we start learning to ‘read’ other people’s minds?
Studies of young children give us insight into the building blocks of an ability that most of us use every day
by Josephine Ross & Martin Doherty
Videos
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Small talk is an art, not a triviality. Here’s how you can master it
Video by the Harvard Business Review
Prison letters animate Diane’s attempt to understand a distant father
Sweet illustrations capture women’s stories of first-time queer attraction
A girl upends her grandparents’ ‘love story’ in this hilarious animation
Shuli’s mother has known he was gay for years. Can they finally talk about it?
Caregiving is the highest form of love in this powerful family portrait
No kidding! Inside one childless comedian’s choice to get a vasectomy
Metaphors open up our minds – but can also shut them down
The best analogies in poetry and science really crackle, but when do they expand our thinking and when do they constrain it?
by Claire O’Callaghan
The history of family offers a liberating view of custom and love
Chronicling the families of the past shows just how much family values, feelings and decision-making can morph over time
by Katie Barclay
It’s possible to become wiser in who you entrust with your love
Love is not merely irrational – there’s a sense in which it’s also based on reason, which means we can get better at it
by Joel Van Fossen
Does national humiliation explain why wars break out?
For a nation, humiliation isn’t just a feeling – it’s a story. Understanding this can help countries move beyond aggression
by Raamy Majeed
For this unsung philosopher, metaphors make life an adventure
Susanne K Langer understood the indispensable power of metaphors, which allow us to say new things with old words
by Sue Curry Jansen & Jeff Pooley
True solidarity requires Burke’s ‘sympathetic revenge’
Social media utterances aren’t enough. Burke’s stand against colonial injustice shows we must confront our own complicity
by Jack Jacobs
How do we start learning to ‘read’ other people’s minds?
Studies of young children give us insight into the building blocks of an ability that most of us use every day
by Josephine Ross & Martin Doherty
There’s no good reason to love each other – and that’s a relief
Loving is an unreasonable decision (we are all extremely unpleasant little beasts) and that’s what allows it to survive
by John Kaag
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
Why it’s possible to be optimistic in a world of bad news
The original optimist, Leibniz, was mocked and misunderstood. Centuries later, his worldview can help us navigate modern life
by Sumit Paul-Choudhury
To have deeper conversations, try being more of an asshole
Conversation is a game with rules about politeness and norms. To move beyond small talk, you need to risk breaking them
by Idil Çakmur
Disappointment is not just a feeling – it’s a political force
When political regimes fail us, don’t turn to optimism. It’s disappointment that holds the radical potential for change
by Rafael Holmberg
What makes a map ‘good’? On the ethics of cartography
Rendering the world in a responsible way means wrestling with what gets depicted on a map, how, and for whom
by Nat Case
Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works
Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech
by Elek Lane
How to maintain a healthy gut
With a few lifestyle and dietary changes, you can protect your gut microbiome, boost your immunity and improve your mood
by Vincent Ho
What a real-life ‘trolley problem’ reveals about morality
We used an electric-shock dilemma to test the strength of people’s moral principles when faced with real-world complexities
by Dries Bostyn