A brief escape from social media
After leaving my phone behind for a week and coming back to it, I saw my social media use in a stark new light
by Tamur Qutab
Relate
All Notes to Self
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
The voices that stick in our minds
Are the most memorable voices just the ones we hear frequently? Or is there some other quality they have?
by Matt Huston
True contact is found in silence
For Emil Cioran, ‘true contact’ with another is the deep intimacy that emerges through mute togetherness
by Sam Dresser
Are people less talkative these days?
A study explores how many words people use a day, whether women really speak more than men, and whether we’re talking less
by Matt Huston
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
Being a dad has made my brain younger
As the father of twins, I could hardly feel more frazzled. But my brain age might paint a different, more youthful, picture
by Christian Jarrett
What I found in one of the tiniest languages
The great complexity and extraordinary simplicity of a constructed language with no more than 140 words
by Hannah H Kim
The kids forgotten by calls to ban phones
Campaigns calling for smartphone-free childhoods might be well meaning, but the choice is not so simple for all families
by Alice Gregory
The words that make an apology convincing
Research on the psychology of apologising finds that certain word choices are more convincing because of their mental cost
by Alice Gregory
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 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
The dissonance of meeting what you eat
An uncomfortable reminder of the tension between your beliefs and behaviour might give you the push you need to change
by Matt Huston
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