‘Sonic branding’ and other ways food marketing keeps you hooked
Video by the Institute of Art and Ideas
Mind and brain
Steven has a rare insight into faces – because he cannot recognise them
Directed by Steven Fraser
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
The (surprisingly new) science of aphantasia – the inability to ‘see’ mental imagery
Video by Quanta Magazine
Being a dad has made my brain younger
As the father of twins, I could hardly feel more frazzled. But my brain age might paint a different, more youthful, picture
by Christian Jarrett
How to take control of your tics – or eliminate them altogether
Whether or not you have a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome, a powerful self-help approach can make a difference within a week
by Paul DePompo
Perhaps the weirdest experience you’ll have sober, what exactly is déjà vu?
Video by BBC Ideas
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
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