Understand

All Notes to Self

A man with white hair in a suit sitting at the head of an empty boardroom table, facing forward, back toward the camera. Dozens of empty chairs line the outer edges of the room; windows at the rear of the room show trees outside.

Don’t fall victim to the Peter Principle

You mustn’t assume that the skills that served you well in the past will be enough for any new challenges that lie ahead

by Christian Jarrett

A smiling runner in a yellow shirt high-fiving a cheering crowd on a street lined with buildings and trees.

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

Photo of a person reading Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” with a red decorative cover while sitting near a window.

My year of slow-reading War and Peace

Reading a chapter a day of War and Peace shows how a manageable, regular habit can build into a much bigger accomplishment

by Freya Howarth

Marble statue of a sleeping man with curly hair lying on fabric, arm draped over his head.

The ancients dreamt the same dreams as us

There is something comforting about realising that, even in Homer’s day, people wondered what the hell their dreams meant

by Sam Dresser

A person drinking next to a large poster depicting steaming coffee cups on a green background.
JOY

A way to enjoy more positive mental images

Psychologists have tested a way to seed ‘involuntary positive mental images’ in the brain. You can try it for yourself

by Christian Jarrett

A man stands in a modern room looking at a large pink sculpture of tentacles outside the window.

What style of curiosity do you practise?

New research shows that people satisfy their curiosity in different ways. Are you a hunter, a busybody or a dancer?

by Richard Fisher

Painting of a bearded man lying on a wooden bed with a patterned robe, resting his head on his hand, slippers on floor.

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

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

A group of office workers turned to face a colleague, clapping and smiling, in a modern meeting room setting.

Are you saying ‘thank you’ too effusively?

Research suggests that people who express their gratitude more effusively are judged as lower status and less influential

by Christian Jarrett

An adult and child looking at Santa inside a large snow globe with snowy trees at dusk.

Seeing all the parts of a tough situation

Taking a difficult experience and inspecting its elements might help us feel better about it

by Matt Huston

The value of scribbling in the margins

Marginalia is far from inessential. It would be a shame if it died off in the digital age

by Richard Fisher

TRAVEL

A false authenticity

The Old Town of Würzburg seemed to offer a real connection to the past. But none of it was authentic

by Sam Dresser

Never heard of it, then it’s everywhere

If you’ve had the strange sense that something you just learned about now appears to you all the time, there’s a name for that

by Hannah Seo