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
Neuroscience
When does the first spark of human consciousness ignite?
We can’t ask babies what they’re feeling, but ingenious new methods are shedding light on the origins of subjective awareness
by Joel Frohlich
The brain’s twilight zone: when you’re neither awake nor asleep
Neuroscientists are demystifying this in-between state, uncovering its role in memory processing and its creative potential
by Célia Lacaux
How the buildings you occupy might be affecting your brain
Cutting-edge research in the field of neuroarchitecture is revealing the public health implications of building design
by Cleo Valentine & Heather Mitcheltree
Dementia is not a death. For some, it marks a new beginning
Advocates are reframing the syndrome as a different way of being – one in which potential for growth and connection endures
by Isabel Sutton
The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul
Both neuroscience and psychotherapy agree that you can change your mental framework as the Stoic Marcus Aurelius described
by István Darabán
This is how your brain distinguishes reality from imagination
In terms of brain activity, imagining something is very similar to seeing it, so why don’t you confuse the two more often?
by Shayla Love
How ‘stirrings of the heart’ shape your experience of time
New research is showing the embodied nature of time perception and how it can fluctuate in tune with the heart’s beats
by Shayla Love
Earlier memories are relatively spared in dementia. Why?
People with Alzheimer’s have richer memories of late childhood and early adulthood and this could help therapeutic care
by Dorthe Berntsen
To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut
A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical
by James M Shine
Slow down, it’s what your brain has been begging for
It’s no small task to live a life of sustained attention. So slow down, and give your brain a break to do its work
by Teodora Stoica
Seeing grieving as learning explains why the process takes time
Standard features of human memory and learning can help explain the disorientation that follows the death of a loved one
by Saren H Seeley & Mary-Frances O’Connor
Allow error into your life and experience the joy of surprise
Neuroscience theories see the human brain as an error-minimising machine. But that overlooks the joy of the unexpected
by Leyla Loued-Khenissi
I saw my baby as a river flowing through me, and gave birth
Daoist wisdom and fMRI data show that mental images alter our bodies, from easing childbirth to enhancing sports performance
by Anna Hennessey
Babies and chicks help solve one of psychology’s oldest puzzles
From the beginning of life, both humans and other species can grasp important characteristics of the world around them
by Giorgio Vallortigara
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