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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 mean for your Friday?
Latest
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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
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Checking Email Just 3 Times a Day Lowered Stress in a Week. Here’s the Catch
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You Can’t Tickle Yourself Because Your Brain Saw It Coming. Here’s the Proof
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 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…
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The Song Stuck in Your Head Follows a Pattern. Here’s How to Break the Loop
Nearly nine in ten people in one large survey get one weekly. Tunes named by 3,000 people show…
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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…
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…
-
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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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…
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Mozart Won’t Make Your Baby Smarter. The 1993 Study Never Said It Would
It began with 36 students and 10 minutes of piano. It ended with free CDs for newborns. Here is what…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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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…
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Nearly a Third of Your Wardrobe Goes Unworn. Your Brain Did the Shopping
UK wardrobes hold about £30 billion of clothes unworn for a year. Six mental habits help explain it, and a…
More stories
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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…
-
The Song Stuck in Your Head Follows a Pattern. Here’s How to Break the Loop
Nearly nine in ten people in one large survey get one weekly. Tunes named by 3,000 people show what makes…
-
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…