Photo of a bullet hole in glass, showing shattered glass patterns on a black background.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Aftershock

A random shooting left me with crippling PTSD. Could magnetic stimulation of my brain quiet the terror?

by Madison Lamb

Photo of a person leaning back with hands on head at a desk, laptop open, with feet up on the desk, green background.
GOALS AND MOTIVATION

How to think differently about procrastination

Avoid the trap of thinking you’re either working or not. A different mindset promises less self-judgment and more progress

by Rebecca Roache

Black and white photo of a person reflected in a window with motion blur and trees visible outside.
MIND AND BRAIN
3

What your mind’s blank moments reveal about consciousness

Scientists are uncovering the nature of an elusive mental experience that challenges what it means to be conscious

by Thomas Andrillon

Ideas

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A smartphone with app icons visible inside an open wooden drawer with red cables partially visible.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Curious about a digital ‘detox’? Here’s what you should know

by Kostadin Kushlev

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

Guides

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Women laughing and dancing in a studio, all wearing pink tops and black leggings.
DANCE

How to start learning dance

Follow these steps to find a style of movement that will captivate you – even if you’ve never seen yourself as a dancer

by Dawn Davis Loring

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GRIEF
4

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

Life stories

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A child’s hand resting on an elderly person’s hands.
LIFE STAGES

Learning to inhale

I brought my newborn to visit a hospice patient. It took me far from what I’d thought medicine was

by Lynn Hallarman

Editor’s picks

Black and white photo of a diver mid-flight parallel to a crouched swimmer on a diving board against a plain background.
CHANGE AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT
9

How to motivate yourself to change

Change is hard, but it’s possible. Use motivational interviewing techniques to build your confidence, and take the plunge

by Angela Wood & Ralph Wood

Photo of a rainy car window with a blurred face silhouette inside and colourful lights outside.
CHANGE AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT

Personal transformation can start with a whisper, not a bang

To understand personal transformation, we should listen to the incessant whispers in our stream of consciousness

by Jennifer Windt

Latest videos

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Drawing of a child leaning on a table beside a fishbowl with a red fish inside. The background is plain and neutral.
IDENTITY

An animator’s bittersweet ode to her ‘third culture’ childhood

Directed by Diana Cam Van Nguyen

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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

Notes to self

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Woman in historical dress washing her hands with water poured by a child from a jug, with onlookers in an ornate interior setting.
OCD

Forever compelled

by Matt Huston

A couple sitting in a beach chair on a sandy shore during a cloudy evening surrounded by empty striped chairs.
LOVE

It’s a gift to share reality with someone

by Hannah Seo

Popular

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
6

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

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

Black and white photo of a hand touching a rain-specked window with four blurred windows in the background.
GRIEF
4

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

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 smartphone with app icons visible inside an open wooden drawer with red cables partially visible.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Curious about a digital ‘detox’? Here’s what you should know

For many who are chronically connected, a break from tech sounds appealing. Research is uncovering when and how it helps

by Kostadin Kushlev

Rikers Island sign on a building with a speedboat on the river in the foreground.
FOOD AND DRINK

Loafing around at Rikers

What making – and breaking – bread in jail taught me about work and friendship

by Jamie Valentino

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

At a time of rising intolerance, the century-old work of C E M Joad reminds us what tolerance really is and why we need it

by Kiran Kumbhar

Close-up photo of a person’s hand holding a smartphone with a patterned fabric in the foreground, soft brown background.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

My chatbot therapist

Constant access, near-perfect memory, analytic reach – ChatGPT provides things a therapist never could

by Sabela Guravich

Explore: Loneliness

Photo of a woman with braided hair on a sailboat in open sea, wearing a patterned jumper and colourful scarf, enjoying the sun.
TRAVEL

Emma navigates the vast Atlantic and her own mind in this captivating travelogue

Directed by Mattias Olsson

Photo of two women sitting on a park bench in autumn, surrounded by fallen leaves and trees.
AGEING
4

How to feel less lonely as you get older

by Carrie Ditzel

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LONELINESS
1

Lonely in London, a filmmaker sets out to make a new friend

A film by Hugh Clegg

A boy wearing a cap and t-shirt sits alone on white stadium bleachers, looking to the side with his arms crossed.
LONELINESS
5

How to overcome the loneliness of youth

by Lily Verity & Pamela Qualter

Woman outdoors smiling and holding a gimbal with mounted smartphone, showing a blonde AI woman on the phone screen, wearing a surgical mask pulled below her chin.
LOVE
2

‘Why can’t you be real?’ The emotionally fraught business of falling for an AI

Directed by Chouwa Liang

Photo of a wet pavement reflecting a person’s silhouette and orange lights on a rainy day.
PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Some people feel so utterly alone it’s as if they don’t exist

by Kristine Dahl Sørensen & Marit Råbu

A small wooden cabin on a hill at sunset with a pink sky and mountains in the background.
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Watching for wildfires merges ancient and modern in our relationship to nature

Directed by Lindsey Hagen