Three worn teddy bears, one beige, one blue and a brown one that has had its nose rubbed off.
PLAY

The Teds

Like characters outgrowing their creator, our teddy bears developed lives of their own

by Sam Firman

Black and white photo of a hand touching a rain-specked window with four blurred windows in the background.
GRIEF
3

How to talk to someone who’s grieving

It’s normal to worry you’ll say the wrong thing. Here’s how to ensure your words and gestures are as supportive as possible

by Lauren Breen & Maarten Eisma

A cyclist in a red jacket on a winding rural road surrounded by autumnal trees with misty hills in the background.
MEANING AND THE GOOD LIFE
4

Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form

In my therapy office, I’ve found that to live with greater purpose, we must think differently about where it comes from

by Ross White

Ideas

View all
Photo of flight crew in blue uniforms waving in front of a parked aeroplane on a runway, with people in the background.
CIVIC LIFE

We’re losing trust in civic institutions – can we get it back?

by Ros Taylor

Street scene in India with people, bullock carts and shops, showing a bustling atmosphere.
CIVIC LIFE

Tolerance isn’t just nice, it’s a civic virtue we all can build

by Kiran Kumbhar

A pair of white trainers with a black tick Nike logo against a wooden floor, sunlight casting a shadow behind.
HABITS AND ROUTINES

Why some healthy habits still take so much effort

by Blair Saunders & Kimberly R More

Guides

View all
A person walking on a pavement, holding their head, with blue shutters and a lightly graffitied wall in the background.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

How to talk to yourself

Self-talk is a proven way to boost motivation, think clearly and process your emotions. These tips will help you use it well

by Maryellen MacDonald

A person’s left hand holds an old family photo near documents and letters on a table; their right hand holds a pen that is positioned to write on a yellow strip of paper.
MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA

How to be the archivist of your own family

By curating your family’s stories, rituals and relics, you’ll feel anchored – and create a bridge between the generations

by Samantha Ellis

Life stories

View all
A silhouetted figure on a foggy street corner with traffic lights and blurred car lights at night.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Trafficked

Cast out by my family as a child, I was groomed by a sex trafficker. I’m finally done with cowering

Jose Alfaro, as told to Larry Lindner

Editor’s picks

Photo of a rural road with a steep hill warning sign marked 1:4 surrounded by green landscape under a blue sky.
EMOTION REGULATION
5

How to take the high road

When someone provokes you, it’s easy to react without thinking. Learn to slow down and respond in ways you’ll be proud of

by Alissa Hebbeln & Russell Kolts

Photo of a sumo wrestler in traditional attire, making a facial expression, with an audience in the background.
EMOTIONS
4

There’s something in my eye: why we happy-cry and what it does for us

Happy tears are often neglected in emotion research. But there are many types, and they have an important function

by Janis Zickfeld

Latest videos

View all
Photo of a young child in a classroom touching a globe with a chalkboard in the background.
LEARNING AND EDUCATION

The idea of a ‘learning style’ is intuitive. It’s also wrong

Video by Veritasium

Photo of a person standing on a large rock in the sea during a sunset with scattered smaller rocks around.
HOME

A modern ‘cave man’ on the business of living authentically

Photo of two women sitting in blue chairs talking in a bright room with plants, a patterned table between them.
LOVE

More than laissez-faire love – demystifying modern polyamory

Photo of hands drawing a figure in a sketchbook on a splattered art table with ruler and paintbrush.
HOME

Memories of home adopt surreal shapes in a Sudanese expat’s art

Painting of a man with a dark beard and cloth headwear aiding an injured man wearing a toga in a pastoral landscape with horses and a rider in the background.
LOVE

More than just a feeling, love can guide our moral compasses

Photo of doughnuts with white icing and colourful sprinkles on a pink background.
FOOD AND DRINK

‘Sonic branding’ and other ways food marketing keeps you hooked

Notes to self

View all
A bearded person gently cradling a newborn wrapped in a patterned blanket by a window in soft light.
EMOTIONS

Why kama muta is an emotion worth seeking

by Hannah Seo

A dimly lit street with parked cars at night. A building has a large, vertical “HOTEL” sign illuminated.
DECISION-MAKING

For maximisers, bad choices really sting

by Richard Fisher

Popular

Black and white photo of a crow perched on a post against a snowy background.
DEATH AND DYING
17

The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

A woman wearing a black gown and veil, and gold and turquoise jewellery raises her harms with eyes closed; musicians wearing headdresses play drums in the background in a dimly lit setting.
ANXIETY

What rituals from the past teach us about panic and anxiety

In the sensory and communal modes of healing that people have used throughout history, there is guidance for today

by Mariem El-Kady

A man in silhouette standing against a reflective surface in an empty room with cityscape visible through large windows.
INTEGRATIVE THERAPY
4

How to stop your life playing on repeat

Those frustrating patterns you keep experiencing might be because of your schemas – and there’s a therapy that can help

by Gemma Gladstone

A person walking on a pavement, holding their head, with blue shutters and a lightly graffitied wall in the background.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

How to talk to yourself

Self-talk is a proven way to boost motivation, think clearly and process your emotions. These tips will help you use it well

by Maryellen MacDonald

A person’s left hand holds an old family photo near documents and letters on a table; their right hand holds a pen that is positioned to write on a yellow strip of paper.
MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA

How to be the archivist of your own family

By curating your family’s stories, rituals and relics, you’ll feel anchored – and create a bridge between the generations

by Samantha Ellis

Black and white photo of two blurred men passing a weathered statue of a reclining man in a courtyard setting.
LEARNING AND EDUCATION

Why are we curious about some things and indifferent to others?

Many of us crave trivial details while ignoring much of the world around us. Research helps explain this selective curiosity

by Tommy Blanchard

A pair of white trainers with a black tick Nike logo against a wooden floor, sunlight casting a shadow behind.
HABITS AND ROUTINES

Why some healthy habits still take so much effort

Contrary to classic habit science, certain behaviours never become easy. Recognising this can help you stick with them

by Blair Saunders & Kimberly R More

A tree-lined path in autumn with people walking and sitting on benches, covered by colourful foliage.
COMMUNITY

The existential struggle between being a ‘we’ and an ‘us’

Sartre’s phenomenology reveals how a shift from subject to object (and back) is not merely a matter of grammar

by Tris Hedges

Explore: Stories and literature

Two people watching a film in a dark, nearly empty cinema. One person is holding a popcorn box.
STORIES AND LITERATURE
1

‘Once upon a time…’ Deconstructing our insatiable appetite for stories

Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee

A historical book illustration featuring intricate circular designs and Norse symbols in faded colours; a page of old text is visible.
STORIES AND LITERATURE

In Viking sagas, the ‘truth’ is a tangle of history and fiction

by Anatoly Liberman

A stylised figure drawn in glowing red lines stands on a cliff reaching towards a dark sky full of stars above a calm sea. The scene has a mystical atmosphere.
SYMBOLS AND MYTH
1

A Navajo creation story illustrates why humans must forge their own path

Directed by Dallin Penman