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Should You Tell People Your Goals? Two Lines of Research Disagree
One famous study says announcing a goal saps your drive. A meta-analysis of 19,951 people says going public helps. The answer lies in what you say, and to whom.
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Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
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Do Long-Distance Relationships Work? The Surprising Research on Couples Apart
Couples living apart often report more intimacy than couples who share a postcode. The harder test, research suggests, comes when…
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Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? What Your Attachment Quiz Gets Wrong
Online quizzes promise to name your attachment style in five minutes. The science behind them is real, but it says…
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Do Opposites Really Attract? A Century of Couples Says Mostly Not
Films and fridge magnets say opposites attract. Data on thousands of couples tells a different, more interesting story.
Psychology
How people think, feel and behave, explained through research and real life.
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Decision Fatigue: The Hungry Judges Study and the Truth About Willpower
Parole judges seemed to grow harsher as lunch approached. The famous study behind decision fatigue looks shakier under cross-examination.
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The Dunning-Kruger Effect Is Real, but Not the Way the Internet Draws It
The famous “Mount Stupid” curve isn’t in the original study. Here’s what Kruger and Dunning actually found, and what statisticians…
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The Bystander Effect: Why the Famous Story Is Only Half True
The 38 silent witnesses to Kitty Genovese’s murder were largely a myth. The science of bystanders is more hopeful, and…
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Multitasking Is Mostly a Myth, but 1 in 40 People Might Be the Exception
Follow an ordinary workday through 25 years of research on task switching, phones and the rare “supertaskers” who…
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Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? What Your Attachment Quiz Gets Wrong
Online quizzes promise to name your attachment style in five minutes. The science behind them is real, but…
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The Bystander Effect: Why the Famous Story Is Only Half True
The 38 silent witnesses to Kitty Genovese’s murder were largely a myth. The science of bystanders is more…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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Is Your Phone’s Blue Light Ruining Your Sleep? The Evidence Is Weak
Night Shift, amber glasses, screen curfews: we rated five popular claims about phones and sleep against the research. The light…
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Multitasking Is Mostly a Myth, but 1 in 40 People Might Be the Exception
Follow an ordinary workday through 25 years of research on task switching, phones and the rare “supertaskers” who seem to…
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Do You Really Need 10,000 Steps a Day? What the Research Actually Shows
The famous target began life as a pedometer name. Here is what five big studies say about the step count…
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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Should You Tell People Your Goals? Two Lines of Research Disagree
One famous study says announcing a goal saps your drive. A meta-analysis of 19,951 people says going public helps. The…
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The Thank-You Letter You Keep Not Writing Is Worth More Than You Think
Gratitude journals deliver less than the hype. A short letter you never send may be the exception, and you can…
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The Women Who Named Imposter Syndrome Never Wanted It Called a Syndrome
Two psychologists described it in 1978 as an experience, not an illness. How common is it really, who gets it,…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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Houseplants Won’t Clean Your Air, but They Might Still Be Good for You
A famous NASA study made houseplants into air purifiers. The maths says otherwise, yet the research on mood and focus…
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Does Your Wall Colour Change Your Mood? The Strange Story of ‘Drunk Tank Pink’
A pink prison cell, a famous red-versus-blue study and a paint chart full of promises. What colour science can and…
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Does a Cluttered Home Make You Stressed? A Room-by-Room Look at the Science
From the hallway to the desk, what researchers have actually found about clutter, cortisol, snacking and sleep, and where the…
Recently updated
Stories our editors have revisited with new research, figures and sources.
More stories
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The Thank-You Letter You Keep Not Writing Is Worth More Than You Think
Gratitude journals deliver less than the hype. A short letter you never send may be the exception, and you can…
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The Dunning-Kruger Effect Is Real, but Not the Way the Internet Draws It
The famous “Mount Stupid” curve isn’t in the original study. Here’s what Kruger and Dunning actually found, and what statisticians…
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Does Your Wall Colour Change Your Mood? The Strange Story of ‘Drunk Tank Pink’
A pink prison cell, a famous red-versus-blue study and a paint chart full of promises. What colour science can and…
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Multitasking Is Mostly a Myth, but 1 in 40 People Might Be the Exception
Follow an ordinary workday through 25 years of research on task switching, phones and the rare “supertaskers” who seem to…
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Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? What Your Attachment Quiz Gets Wrong
Online quizzes promise to name your attachment style in five minutes. The science behind them is real, but it says…
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The Bystander Effect: Why the Famous Story Is Only Half True
The 38 silent witnesses to Kitty Genovese’s murder were largely a myth. The science of bystanders is more hopeful, and…