Mind-body interactions

Coloured electron microscope image of bacteria and fungi; round green/yellow cells and rod-shaped pink structures on a textured surface.

How to maintain a healthy gut

With a few lifestyle and dietary changes, you can protect your gut microbiome, boost your immunity and improve your mood

by Vincent Ho

Photo of a person’s neck and shoulders illuminated with pink and blue light on a dark blue background.

How to trust your body

Your heart, lungs, abdomen and gut are trying to tell you something. Learning to tune in can significantly boost your health

by Saga Briggs

Photo of a crowd at night, a woman in the front smiles with her hand on her chest, others hold lights in the background.

A stable sense of self is rooted in the lungs, heart and gut

Exciting new research findings are validating ancient folk beliefs that root the sense of self deep in the body’s organs

by Alessandro Monti

A gymnast in a purple leotard mid-performance, captured with a motion blur effect, showing multiple overlapping images of her movement.

Hula hooping is not mindless, it is bodily problem solving

There are surprising similarities in the way mathematicians do their work and the way hoop dancers devise new tricks

by Elina Vessonen

Photo of a man jogging on a park path under cherry blossom trees on a sunny day with a bench to the side.

How to enjoy running

Going for a jog doesn’t have to be a chore – these mental techniques will make it something you actually look forward to

by Christian Jarrett

A black-and-white photo of a dancer in a flowing, long-sleeved outfit, posed with eyes closed and hands extended.
DANCE

Lockdown dancing is both a solo conversation and a mass grieving

As both Martha Graham and Hannah Arendt knew, being alone – in dance or in conversation – is a way to explore connection

by Dana Naomy Mills

Photo of a person meditating in sunlight on the floor of a room beside a bed.

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

Houses at night with a crescent moon in a clear blue sky, one house has an illuminated window, tree silhouettes frame the scene.

Our internal clocks could be key for preserving mental health

Circadian rhythms often seem ‘out of time’ in bipolar disorder. Scientists are exploring what goes wrong and how to help

by Jacob Crouse

Photo of a person’s toned torso in shadowy light hands on hips wearing a dark top and trousers showcasing abdominal muscles.

Stronger

When grief and distraction spun my mind out of control, only the strain of my muscles could keep it intact

by Nancy Uddin

A monochrome photo of a person with a shaved head looking down in low light, a tattooed teardrop visible near their eye.

Why it matters that trauma affects women and men differently

They are too often ignored, yet sex differences affect the kind of trauma people experience and the effect it has on them

by Klára Hanáková

A person gazing out a train window at a yellow field and cloudy sky, with a table and a closed laptop in view.

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

An Indigenous Australian man carrying a child on his shoulders walking through bushland observing a ‘cool’ burn (used to control underbrush), with smoke and flames in the background.

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

Photo of a man in profile with glasses, eyes closed, head tilted back under a structure with a grid-like roof.

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

Photo of an older woman in a purple jumper sitting alone in dimly lit theatre seats.

Can a perfectionist personality put you at risk of migraines?

The hunt for a ‘migraine personality’ dates back over a hundred years and still it goes on. Why is the idea so alluring?

by Shayla Love

Photo of two men examining a prosthetic hand on a table, with wires and devices connected.

Rubber hand illusions shed new light on our bodily sense of self

Testing the illusions on those who have entered altered states offers clues about the experience of being in control

by Shayla Love

A bustling food stall at dusk with bright signs advertising burgers, curly fries and sausages against a darkening sky.

The Ozempic era should change how we think about self-control

Struggling to manage weight can seem like a failure of raw willpower. GLP-1 drugs highlight how misguided that view is

by Matthew C Haug