How cultural outsiders cope with the pain of feeling different
In therapy with people from immigrant families, I’ve seen the side effects of adaptation – and what it takes to break free
by Dennis Portnoy
How to find your InnSæi
In uncertain times, an Icelandic concept can help you reconnect with your intuition and follow your inner compass
by Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir
Thicker than blood
When polio left me unable to walk, my parents put me in a disability centre. There, I met Mommy
Sauda Bashir, as told to Kiprop Kimutai
Ideas
View all
Guides
View all
How to build team spirit
The glue, or spirit, that binds certain teams is not mystical – you can cultivate it by changing how you work together
by Leigh Thompson
How to cope with disruptive change
You can’t stop life from throwing changes your way, big and small. But you can get a lot better at dealing with them
by David A Clark
Life stories
View all
Editor’s picks
How to sleep well again
Insomnia is awful, but highly treatable. Look beyond pills and potions, and use these effective methods to get your life back
by Chris James
You can think like an animal by silencing your chattering brain
The desire is partly whimsical, but a brief shapeshift across the taxonomic gulf could help us better empathise with animals
by Bryony Tolhurst
Latest videos
View all
How Bobby McFerrin draws out mesmerising music from any audience
Video by World Science Festival
Why you lose your cool during arguments, and how to reclaim it
A no-nonsense New York driving instructor’s rules of the road
Perception is a process of inference, not an account of ‘reality’
An autistic artist searches for the ‘souls’ of machines
How meditation can boost your brain’s capacity to adapt
An animator’s bittersweet ode to her ‘third culture’ childhood
Notes to self
View all
Popular
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
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
How to cope with disruptive change
You can’t stop life from throwing changes your way, big and small. But you can get a lot better at dealing with them
by David A Clark
No, willpower isn’t a muscle – here’s a better way to think of it
The muscle metaphor based on ego-depletion theory hasn’t survived scrutiny. But there’s an alternative that holds promise
by Alberto De Luca
Heidegger knew that we are always outside, weathering the storms
We aren’t safe inside separate minds. Being-in-the-world means we’re entangled and vulnerable – and that’s how we flourish
by Katherine Withy
Dignity isn’t bestowed, it must be continually practised
Reckoning with the complex history of dignity reveals its fragility and what Hannah Arendt recognised as its conditionality
by Christa Teston
