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Do Positive Affirmations Work? Why “I Am Lovable” Can Backfire, and the Version That Helps
Repeating “I am lovable” made people with low self-esteem feel worse in one well-known study. A quieter, values-based exercise has far better evidence.
Latest
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Does Owning Less Make You Happier? What 175 Studies on Materialism Say About Minimalism
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The Four-Day Week Under the Microscope: What 6 Trials Really Found, and What They Didn’t
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Does Living Together Before Marriage Raise Divorce Risk? 40 Years of Research, Rechecked
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Why One Criticism Outweighs Five Compliments, and What the Famous 5:1 Ratio Really Says
Just updated
Stories our editors have just revisited with new research, figures and sources.
Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
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Does Living Together Before Marriage Raise Divorce Risk? 40 Years of Research, Rechecked
For decades, studies warned that moving in first meant divorcing later. Newer research points to age, engagement and how couples…
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Couples Who Say “We” Mid-Argument Stay Calmer, and It’s Your Partner Who Benefits
Across 30 studies and 5,288 people, “we-talk” tracked with better relationships and health. The link is small, and it runs…
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The Laugh You Share Says More About Your Relationship Than the Joke Does
In one study, couples who laughed at the same moment felt closer and more supported. Listeners in 24 societies can…
Psychology
How people think, feel and behave, explained through research and real life.
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Why One Criticism Outweighs Five Compliments, and What the Famous 5:1 Ratio Really Says
Bad news grabs the brain faster and holds on longer. A tour of negativity bias, the ratios people quote about…
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You Can’t Tickle Yourself Because Your Brain Saw It Coming. Here’s the Proof
A tickling robot, a brain scanner and a finger-pressing duel show how your brain mutes its own touch, and what…
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The Famous Jam Study Says Too Much Choice Freezes You. The Real Answer Is Messier
Across 50 later experiments, the average effect of more options was almost zero. Four conditions decide when a long menu…
Worth your time
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The New Sofa Makes Your Rug Look Shabby. A Philosopher Described That Feeling in 1769
One upgrade can quietly set off a run of others. Experiments show when it happens, and how to…
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Couples Who Say “We” Mid-Argument Stay Calmer, and It’s Your Partner Who Benefits
Across 30 studies and 5,288 people, “we-talk” tracked with better relationships and health. The link is small, and…
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The Famous Jam Study Says Too Much Choice Freezes You. The Real Answer Is Messier
Across 50 later experiments, the average effect of more options was almost zero. Four conditions decide when a…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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The Four-Day Week Under the Microscope: What 6 Trials Really Found, and What They Didn’t
Burnout down, sick days down, most firms kept it. But who signed up, who was measured, and what does it…
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Checking Email Just 3 Times a Day Lowered Stress in a Week. Here’s the Catch
One study logged office workers opening email 77 times a day. The habit that helps depends less on willpower than…
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Open-Plan Offices Were Meant to Get You Talking. Face-to-Face Talk Fell 70%
When one big firm tore down its walls, staff sent 56% more emails. If you hot-desk a few days a…
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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Do Positive Affirmations Work? Why “I Am Lovable” Can Backfire, and the Version That Helps
Repeating “I am lovable” made people with low self-esteem feel worse in one well-known study. A quieter, values-based exercise has…
-
That Growth Mindset Poster Made Big Promises. Here’s What 25 Years of Studies Found
The best evidence points to a real but small boost, mostly for students who are struggling. Here is each claim,…
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Left-Brained or Right-Brained? Scans of 1,011 Brains Found No Such Thing
Yet 91% of UK teachers in one survey thought hemisphere dominance helps explain differences between pupils. Here is what the…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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Does Owning Less Make You Happier? What 175 Studies on Materialism Say About Minimalism
Studies link wanting less with feeling better. But the evidence is messier than the decluttering videos suggest, and the fix…
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The New Sofa Makes Your Rug Look Shabby. A Philosopher Described That Feeling in 1769
One upgrade can quietly set off a run of others. Experiments show when it happens, and how to stop the…
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Money’s Tight and You Still Bought the Lipstick. Psychologists Have a Theory
Lipstick sales are said to rise in hard times. The data is messier, but the urge is real, and there…
More stories
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Checking Email Just 3 Times a Day Lowered Stress in a Week. Here’s the Catch
One study logged office workers opening email 77 times a day. The habit that helps depends less on willpower than…
-
You Can’t Tickle Yourself Because Your Brain Saw It Coming. Here’s the Proof
A tickling robot, a brain scanner and a finger-pressing duel show how your brain mutes its own touch, and what…
-
That Growth Mindset Poster Made Big Promises. Here’s What 25 Years of Studies Found
The best evidence points to a real but small boost, mostly for students who are struggling. Here is each claim,…
-
The New Sofa Makes Your Rug Look Shabby. A Philosopher Described That Feeling in 1769
One upgrade can quietly set off a run of others. Experiments show when it happens, and how to stop the…
-
Couples Who Say “We” Mid-Argument Stay Calmer, and It’s Your Partner Who Benefits
Across 30 studies and 5,288 people, “we-talk” tracked with better relationships and health. The link is small, and it runs…
-
The Famous Jam Study Says Too Much Choice Freezes You. The Real Answer Is Messier
Across 50 later experiments, the average effect of more options was almost zero. Four conditions decide when a long menu…