Personality

Photo of a group of young people taking a selfie with a smartphone outdoors in a busy urban setting.
PERSONALITY
5

Is narcissism really on the rise among younger generations?

A fresh investigation of vast numbers of young people from around the world has thrown up some surprising results

by Jakob Pietschnig & Sandra Oberleiter

A person standing on a freight train car during sunset with a dog sitting nearby and graffiti on the train.
HOME

Freedom, joy and struggle – stories of Los Angeles street life

Directed by Chung Nguyen

A smiling woman with tattoos at an outdoor festival, surrounded by blurred people and trees in the background.
PERSONALITY
6

The trait that makes some people so frustrating – and alluring

Conscientiousness is constantly touted as a virtue, so what’s life like for people with the opposite trait – disinhibition?

by Janan Mostajabi

An elderly man smiling broadly with sunglasses on, reclining on a floral lounge chair beside an elderly woman outdoors.
LOVE
2

Does it matter if your romantic partner is similar to you?

From traits like extraversion to specific habits, there are many ways a couple can match. New research tests whether it helps

by Phuong Linh L Nguyen & Moin Syed

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

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

PERSONALITY

Mindie is a talented singer. She also doesn’t have legs. As a teen, it got complicated

A film by Megan Griffiths and Mindie Lind

A man lying with a serene expression surrounded by white lilies against a dark background.
AGEING
1

At 84, Jun lives to shock. His next act? A living funeral no one asked for

A film by Mari Young and Anika Kan Grevstad

People in hooded jackets standing in a park with grass and trees, a rainbow in the sky and a building in the background.
NEURODIVERSITY
5

Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality

It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them

by Joshua May

Photo of a bookstore entrance at night with people walking by and a person reading among book trolleys on the pavement.
THE SELF

What makes some of us crave self-insight more than others?

Some people have a powerful desire to understand themselves, but their path to self-knowledge is rarely straightforward

by Christoph Heine

Photo of an aeroplane parked at Bologna Airport with the terminal and control tower in the background.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE
8

Speaking a different language can change how you act and feel

For many multilinguals, switching between tongues can lead to shifts in personality, revealing the malleability of the self

by Antonella Gismundi

Photo of a smiling family sitting in a red convertible car parked in front of a suburban house.
GENDER
3

In more prosperous societies, are men and women more similar?

How much the sexes differ psychologically depends on how fair and wealthy a country is. But not in the way you’d think

by Kåre Hedebrant & Agneta Herlitz

Photo of climbers trekking on a snow-covered mountain ridge shrouded in mist and clouds.
DECISION-MAKING

How a ‘dominance’ mindset encourages leaders to put others at risk

To find ways to deter this recklessness, we’ve studied the mindset of financiers and others who take ‘moral hazard’ decisions

by Hemant Kakkar & Garrett L Brady

Various hats displayed on stands in a shop window with a blurred street scene and bicycle outside.
IDENTITY
3

You have multiple ‘social identities’ – here’s how to manage them

As social beings, our identities are bound up with different groups – here’s how to juggle all the various hats you wear

by Anna K Zinn

Photo of a person sitting and holding a large map covering their face outdoors with people walking in the background.
THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE

A love for thinking brings benefits way beyond school and work

Having a passion for mental effort – a trait that’s distinct from being intelligent – has some wide-ranging upsides

by Josephine Zerna

Photo of a child in green on a motorcycle with an adult’s tattooed arms holding the handlebars.
PERSONALITY

How babies’ and children’s temperament varies around the world

International research reveals intriguing regional differences in temperament – the infant precursor to adult personality

by Matt Huston

Photo of two men outdoors laughing, one in a straw hat embracing the other from behind, with trees and garden in the background.
EMOTION REGULATION
1

Are emotionally resilient people also skilled at soothing others?

Research on the social side of emotion management is showing what’s distinctive about it – and its benefits for all involved

by Christian Jarrett