You don’t need perfect features to be physically beautiful
New research reveals that physical attractiveness is more about personal compatibility than meeting universal standards
by Annett Schirmer
Understand
The inner workings of the mind: emotions, memory, decision-making and more
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
My husband, the gun nut
Three years into a blissful relationship, my partner picked up a hobby that sent me spiralling
by Lindsey Harrington
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
Synchronicity
Long ago, I gave a boy a greenfinch. That moment followed me in ways I’m still puzzling over
by Katia Ariel
Guides
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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
To resist dogma and accept uncertainty, think like a pragmatist
Founded in 19th-century America, the philosophy of pragmatism promises imaginative ways of coping with our circumstances
by Michael Bacon
Popular
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
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
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
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
Why we choose to avoid information that’s right in front of us
Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic
by Jeremy L Foust
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
The hidden calculations that determine whether you will cry
We think of tears as an overflow of emotion, but an evolutionary lens shows they’re a rational form of social signalling
by Daniel Sznycer & Debra Lieberman
You don’t need perfect features to be physically beautiful
New research reveals that physical attractiveness is more about personal compatibility than meeting universal standards
by Annett Schirmer
Popular
View allWhat 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
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
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
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
Notes to self
View all
Videos
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We’re naturally bad at predicting what will make us happy. Here’s how to adjust
Video by The Well
From cave art to subatomic sketches – how drawing has accelerated human progress
A woman must break apart to make herself whole in this surreal, stunning animation
Embrace conflict, reject authority – William Blake’s radical vision of a meaningful life
Steven has a rare insight into faces – because he cannot recognise them
There’s joy in doing a job right. Just ask this artisanal pencil-sharpener
The (surprisingly new) science of aphantasia – the inability to ‘see’ mental imagery
The value of scribbling in the margins
Marginalia is far from inessential. It would be a shame if it died off in the digital age
by Richard Fisher
Seeing all the parts of a tough situation
Taking a difficult experience and inspecting its elements might help us feel better about it
by Matt Huston
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
Does progress seem slower when you constantly check on it?
Research on how we perceive the rate of change shows how you can be strategic about goal tracking and boost your motivation
by André Vaz
Jaywalking man
Even before I got hit, I’d come to find unexpected bliss in waiting at street corners
by Lawrence Everett Forbes
How slow breathing calms down your brain
Researchers studied the effect of slow breathing on people’s brain activity while they experienced anticipatory anxiety
by Christian Jarrett
My year of slow-reading War and Peace
Reading a chapter a day of War and Peace shows how a manageable, regular habit can build into a much bigger accomplishment
by Freya Howarth
Are you saying ‘thank you’ too effusively?
Research suggests that people who express their gratitude more effusively are judged as lower status and less influential
by Christian Jarrett
Why we choose to avoid information that’s right in front of us
Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic
by Jeremy L Foust
A former office worker charts his own path, herding sheep high into the Pyrenees
Directed by Jake Joynson
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
Humans are uniquely reliant on caregivers. This isn’t a weakness, but a wondrous gift
Video by Aeon
The hidden calculations that determine whether you will cry
We think of tears as an overflow of emotion, but an evolutionary lens shows they’re a rational form of social signalling
by Daniel Sznycer & Debra Lieberman
How increasing short-term pleasure can help you achieve your long-term goals
Video by TED-Ed
‘Man cannot stand a meaningless life’ – a conversation with Carl Jung at 84
Video by Face to Face
How much you ‘body-wander’ could affect your mental health
Some people tune into bodily sensations while daydreaming, others don’t – with implications for anxiety, depression and ADHD
by Leah Banellis