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Photo of people in a sunny square with bikes and scooters, near Les Tontons and a large building advertisement in Bordeaux.

Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back

Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative

by Karen Simecek

Futuristic architectural rendering with wooden structures elevated above a tree-filled courtyard space.

How the buildings you occupy might be affecting your brain

Cutting-edge research in the field of neuroarchitecture is revealing the public health implications of building design

by Cleo Valentine & Heather Mitcheltree

Photo of two men in dark clothing sitting and smiling at a round table in a dimly lit room with glasses.

How to tell a better story

Personal stories have the power to connect, entertain, persuade. Use a pro storyteller’s tips to pick and prepare a great one

by Micaela Blei

A person watering plants in an urban garden with buildings in the background on a cloudy day.

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

Black and white photo of a person wearing a jacket, eyes closed, with a foggy forest background and tree branches above.

How to find new spiritual practices

Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater

by Morgan Shipley

Ancient Greek marble relief showing three figures in a carved scene.

For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path

Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?

by Sam Woodward

Monks in colourful robes and hats, forming a circle during an outdoor festival with flags and onlookers in Tibet.

Complexity science can deepen your mindfulness practice

What if ‘stress reduction’ is the least interesting thing mindfulness does? Complexity science offers new ways forward

by Pavel Chvykov

Illustration of diverse people in warm tones, depicting a crowded scene with varied clothing and hairstyles.
WISDOM

Wisdom is a virtue, but how do we judge if someone has it?

Our team explored who is considered wise in cultures with contrasting philosophical traditions. The results surprised us

by Igor Grossmann & Maksim Rudnev

A waterfall under a stormy sky with mist and a building on the left cliff surrounded by trees in the background.

How to think about the sublime

An exquisite mix of fear and awe, pleasure and pain, the sublime stretches the imagination and reveals the limits of reason

by Nicole A Hall

Photo of two people sitting on a rock by a stream surrounded by greenery, one with an arm around the other.

Rewilding attachment theory by recognising Earth as a caregiver

We are raised by people, but we are also raised by the Earth – here’s what that means for our emotional development

by Vanessa Chakour

A surfer riding a wave under a cloudy sky, with another large wave shown behind.

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

A cityscape at night with two silhouetted figures in the foreground and a full moon above a mountain in the background.

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

Photo of sunlit green leaves and branches against a bright blue sky.

The most profound wonder is stirred by what is most ordinary

Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul

by Maria Balaska

Painting of a bundle of American banknotes tied with a green ribbon pinned to a wall on a brown background.

Greedy people might be frowned upon, but are they the winners?

Some individuals have a persistent tendency to want ever more stuff and status. Psychologists are examining the lives they lead

by Karlijn Hoyer

Photo of a classroom with students meditating at their desks, surrounded by posters and bright natural light.

What if we learned contemplation like we do arts or sports?

As with football or violin practice, young people could gain versatile life skills through routine contemplative training

by Michael R Sheehy

Black and white photo of a child watching large fish swim in an aquarium tank illuminated by beams of light.

To thrive, children need to experience awe – and you can help

Alongside love, sleep and play, awe is precious for children. There are small, everyday ways to make it a part of their lives

by Fan Yang & Artemisia O’bi