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
Mind and brain
After a life-altering diagnosis, Case crafts a loving message to his future self
A film by Case Jernigan
How do we start learning to ‘read’ other people’s minds?
Studies of young children give us insight into the building blocks of an ability that most of us use every day
by Josephine Ross & Martin Doherty
Instead of wrestling with self-defeating thoughts, try this
When your own thoughts discourage and undermine you, it’s easy to get tangled. A change of strategy could get you past it
by Joe Oliver & Kristy Potter
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
The pupil of the eye opens a remarkable window into the mind
From mental effort to the content of a person’s imagination, these tiny apertures reveal far more than you might realise
by Christoph Strauch
You can think like an animal by silencing your chattering brain
The desire is partly whimsical, but a brief shapeshift across the taxonomic gulf could help us better empathise with animals
by Bryony Tolhurst
Why every utterance you make begins with a leap of faith
Time pressure and the limitations of memory compel you and your listener to engage in a fascinating linguistic trade-off
by Julie Sedivy
The reason that even hands-free calls are risky for drivers
Cars are filled with ever more communication and entertainment tech, but our minds are stuck with the same limitations
by Robert Rosenberger
Living without mental imagery may shield against trauma’s impact
Discovering I have aphantasia helped me understand my response to being assaulted and why I wasn’t debilitated by PTSD
by J B Smith
Long COVID brain fog was my enemy. How did it become my friend?
The confusion of my illness helped me understand Buddhist theories of ignorance and its role in the relief of suffering
by Emily McRae
This is what a Neanderthal conversation would have sounded like
Neanderthals had language, but it differed from ours in an important way that could help explain our superior art and tech
by Steven Mithen
What films and literature reveal about the voice in your head
Inner speech is mysterious and hard to study. But movie voiceovers and introspective novels offer fresh ways to understand it
by Shayla Love
A monk showed me that spirituality needs more space in medicine
As a doctor, I’ve seen how brain diseases can become entwined with spiritual pain. Who is responsible for addressing it?
by Michael P H Stanley
Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died
These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process
by Shayla Love
What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen?
They’ve been studied by researchers and recruited by police forces, but what’s it actually like to be a super-recogniser?
by Shayla Love