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
Understand
The inner workings of the mind: emotions, memory, decision-making and more
Love, shame and 325 bags of trash
In my mother’s hoarding house, I found something I wanted to keep
by Deborah Derrickson Kossmann
Why our flawed, flexible memories come with social benefits
Though relationships are grounded in shared memories, some gaps and inaccuracies can help us live well in a social world
by Gillian Murphy & Ciara Greene
How do transgender people remember their earlier selves?
Research with transgender people sheds light on the memory processes that allow any of us to navigate periods of change
by Caleb Schlaupitz
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
Scenes from books, movies and games sometimes carry as much weight as events from people’s own lives. We’re finding out why
by Osman Görkem Çetin
Guides
View all
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
How to find inner peace like Saint Teresa of Ávila
The 16th-century ‘spiritual rock-star’ shows how seeing your soul as a castle can be a source of strength and consolation
by Skye C Cleary
Popular
For a happier life, we must balance two old psychological needs
Personal autonomy is abundant in the modern world. As a result, many of us get what we want but not what we need
by William von Hippel
Why do beautiful people also seem smart and likeable?
Psychologists have known about the ‘halo effect’ for ages. New research suggests the power of language can help explain it
by Chris F Westbury & Daniel King
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
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
Scenes from books, movies and games sometimes carry as much weight as events from people’s own lives. We’re finding out why
by Osman Görkem Çetin
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 find inner peace like Saint Teresa of Ávila
The 16th-century ‘spiritual rock-star’ shows how seeing your soul as a castle can be a source of strength and consolation
by Skye C Cleary
I was sceptical about breathwork so I did my own research
Breathwork changed my life, but I heard the sceptics. Several studies later, I’m more convinced than ever of its benefits
by Guy W Fincham
Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality
It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them
by Joshua May
Popular
View allFor a happier life, we must balance two old psychological needs
Personal autonomy is abundant in the modern world. As a result, many of us get what we want but not what we need
by William von Hippel
Why do beautiful people also seem smart and likeable?
Psychologists have known about the ‘halo effect’ for ages. New research suggests the power of language can help explain it
by Chris F Westbury & Daniel King
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
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
Scenes from books, movies and games sometimes carry as much weight as events from people’s own lives. We’re finding out why
by Osman Görkem Çetin
Notes to self
View all
Videos
View all
Mindie is a talented singer. She also doesn’t have legs. As a teen, it got complicated
A film by Megan Griffiths and Mindie Lind
Perhaps the weirdest experience you’ll have sober, what exactly is déjà vu?
At 84, Jun lives to shock. His next act? A living funeral no one asked for
Mzia the elevator operator leaves her post for the first time in two decades
After a life-altering diagnosis, Case crafts a loving message to his future self
A wool puppet’s stirring journey from safety into the great unknown
For Lucy, surviving on a remote island was hard, but returning was harder
I was sceptical about breathwork so I did my own research
Breathwork changed my life, but I heard the sceptics. Several studies later, I’m more convinced than ever of its benefits
by Guy W Fincham
What runners call the ‘pain cave’
Widely discussed in running circles, there’s a place you go when your body gives up and there’s only mental strength left
by Richard Fisher
There are three lenses through which to weigh any decision
Whether an act seems ‘good’ depends on how you look at it. Brain research reveals what happens when the lens changes
by Clara Pretus & Jay Van Bavel
Forgetting in ancient Greece and China
Forgetting can be frustrating, even scary. The ancient Greeks certainly thought so. But Daoism offers a more hopeful view
by Sam Dresser
These lessons in scepticism could make the world a better place
In our age of certainty and dogma, we would all do well to learn from the philosophy of the ancient Greco-Roman sceptics
by Massimo Pigliucci
Why do beautiful people also seem smart and likeable?
Psychologists have known about the ‘halo effect’ for ages. New research suggests the power of language can help explain it
by Chris F Westbury & Daniel King
Before it was ‘bittersweet’, nostalgia was seen as a parasite
Early modern ideas about nostalgia, infused with the elements of horror, invite us to think more deeply about human longing
by Jac Lewis
Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality
It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them
by Joshua May
There is knowledge in the land as well as in ourselves
Indigenous Australian knowledge systems understand what Descartes didn’t – the natural world has important things to tell us
by Andrew Kirkpatrick
Having epileptic seizures gave me newfound respect for the brain
Seizures are often described as both terrifying and enthralling. Mine gave me a wondrous new take on consciousness and agency
by Webb Wright
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
For a happier life, we must balance two old psychological needs
Personal autonomy is abundant in the modern world. As a result, many of us get what we want but not what we need
by William von Hippel
Too many men lack close friendships. What’s holding them back?
Some masculine norms are a straightjacket, depriving men of the connections they need. It takes bravery to leave them behind
by Angelica Puzio Ferrara
What removing large chunks of brain taught me about selfhood
I’ve cut brains in half, excised tumours – even removed entire lobes. The illusion of the self and free will survives it all
by Theodore H Schwartz
Here’s how to use your imagination to prepare for any task
From sport to public speaking, the link between mental imagery and actual performance is undeniable – and you can harness it
by Jonathan Rhodes
Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them
Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns
by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei