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
Meaning and the good life
True courage isn’t being fearless, it’s fearing well
Aristotle created the blueprint for the bravery we need to resist injustice and do the right thing, even at our own risk
by Andrew Culbreth
Embrace the monotony
A museum guard’s tale of long, slow hours on the job changed how I think about seemingly empty stretches of time
by Hannah Seo
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
Where are you on the ‘happiness curve’?
When I came across the U-shaped happiness curve, I knew I had to act if I wanted to buck the midlife average
by Richard Fisher
Plato warned that some pleasures separate us from reality
The contemporary obsession with feeling good might mean we’re losing sight of what makes life genuinely meaningful
by Derek van Zoonen
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
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 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
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
African proverbs provide the blueprint for a meaningful life
Incorporating ancient African wisdom into wellbeing interventions could push positive psychology beyond its Western roots
by Richard Appiah
We can live well, even though we don’t have a higher purpose
The novelist and poet Ursula K Le Guin shows we can reject nihilism and naive optimism by practising our collective freedom
by Alexis Shotwell
Is modern asceticism about conformity or quiet revolution?
From detoxes to slow food, today’s asceticism is often about fitting in. But we can rediscover its transformative power
by Iryna Mykhailova
Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind
To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing
by Michael Uebel
Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how
For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started
by Joanna Ebenstein
How to make your life feel more meaningful
Existential psychology offers specific ways to find meaning, giving you a buffer against despair in these anxious times
by Steven Heine