Most cults don’t make the headlines. Here’s how to identify, and avoid, control by psychologically coercive social groups ...

Social scientists have long documented the ‘warm glow’ of altruism, a good feeling that comes from doing a good deed. But ...

Shame swamps any redeeming traits you might have thought you had. Slow down to interrupt the loops that cause self-hatred ...

Mental health awareness may be having unintended consequences – the conversation needs to shift from vibes to precision ...

Self-control, grit, growth mindset – trendy skills won’t transform children’s lives, but more meaningful interventions can ...

Research on how we perceive the rate of change shows how you can be strategic about goal tracking and boost your motivation ...

A lot of people think they know how to sharpen pencils, but… they don’t.’ A guide to doing it right, by an artisanal pro ...

In my work as a psychotherapist, I often encounter clients who find it hard to make sense of themselves, appealing to rationality as a defence against the rawness of emotion: the bereaved person who ...

Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic ...

Friendship is a force that runs deep through the human soul. It fosters trust, emotional balance and mutual support. It binds individuals and shapes communities, both in ordinary times and in moments ...

After some three decades studying emotions, Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, has come to the following conclusion: ‘Not everybody has as much ...

Another caveat to uncertainty’s usefulness is that it can sometimes prompt us to seek out useless and harmful information. For example, interviews with private investigators found that 92 per cent of ...