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
Ideas
Expert insights, perspectives and provocations to stimulate your mind
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
Is choosing food and medicine based on naturalness a good idea?
Understanding the intuitive power of the word ‘natural’ could help inform choices about what to eat or what to do when ill
by Brian Meier
What a romantic comedy cliché reveals about modern love
The idea of a ‘learning style’ is intuitive. It’s also wrong
More than laissez-faire love – demystifying modern polyamory
‘Sonic branding’ and other ways food marketing keeps you hooked
Can an entire society be mentally ill? A perspective from 1960
When dreams touch reality – the liminal world of sleep paralysis
Popular
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
Guilty pleasures are more than just giving in to temptation
Psychologists are discovering what’s going on when you do something you enjoy, but also feel weird or embarrassed about
by LaCount ‘JJ’ Togans
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
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
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
Can an entire society be mentally ill? A perspective from 1960
Video by The Search for America
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
Why AI’s hallucinations are like the illusions of narcissism
Unable to handle uncertainty, AI mimics the narcissistic compulsion to fill voids with plausible but false narratives
by Jennine Gates
Popular
View allThe 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
Guilty pleasures are more than just giving in to temptation
Psychologists are discovering what’s going on when you do something you enjoy, but also feel weird or embarrassed about
by LaCount ‘JJ’ Togans
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
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
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
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
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
We’re losing trust in civic institutions – can we get it back?
Historically, trust in institutions freed us to do extraordinary things. They can be flawed, but we lose them at our peril
by Ros Taylor
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
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
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
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
Reality shifting opens portals to the weirdness of our world
It’s easy to denounce ‘reality shifting’ as a shared delusion. But there is value in making the world feel unfamiliar
by Ed Simon
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
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
The Ozempic era should change how we think about self-control
Struggling to manage weight can seem like a failure of raw willpower. GLP-1 drugs highlight how misguided that view is
by Matthew C Haug
Blame the ‘greedy bastards’, and you protect the greedy systems
The most vehement and damaging charges of ‘greed’ get directed at precisely those who are being stripped of everything
by David Keen
Do you weave historical events into your own life story?
Some people watch history pass by. Others high in ‘historical consciousness’ truly live it – and seem to benefit as a result
by Şebnem Ture