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Does Writing About Your Feelings Actually Help? What 40 Years of Research Says
In 1983 a psychologist asked students to write about their worst experiences for four nights. Here is what has held up since, and how to try it.
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Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
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Why Being Ghosted Hurts So Much: What Psychologists Know About the Silence
No row, no reason, just nothing. Research on ostracism explains why ghosting stings, why people do it, and how to…
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The Shrinking Circle: How Many Close Friends Adults Really Have, and Why It Matters
Fewer close friends and less time together: decades of survey data from the US and Britain reveal how adult friendship…
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Can 36 Questions Make Two Strangers Fall in Love? The Science Behind the Viral Experiment
A list of questions from a 1997 psychology study became a worldwide dating phenomenon. Here is what the research actually…
Psychology
How people think, feel and behave, explained through research and real life.
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Why the Song You Hated in March Is Your Favourite by June
Repetition quietly rewires taste. Fifty years of mere exposure research explain why songs grow on you, and why some never…
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Why Does Time Speed Up as We Get Older? Five Explanations, Weighed
Everyone over 30 says the years are getting shorter. Psychologists have five explanations, and some hold up far better than…
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The Ben Franklin Effect: Why Asking a Rival for a Favour Can Win Them Over
In 1737 Benjamin Franklin disarmed a hostile politician by borrowing a book. Two centuries of psychology suggest the trick works,…
Worth your time
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The Messy Desk Myth: What Really Happened When Scientists Tested Clutter and Creativity
A famous study said a messy room makes you more creative. A larger replication, a crisis in psychology…
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Can 36 Questions Make Two Strangers Fall in Love? The Science Behind the Viral Experiment
A list of questions from a 1997 psychology study became a worldwide dating phenomenon. Here is what the…
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Why Endings Matter So Much: Inside the Peak-End Rule
Your memory of a holiday, a hospital visit or a relationship is shaped by two moments. Here is…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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What Happens When People Quit Social Media? Five Experiments, One by One
Researchers have paid people to log off, cut them to 10 minutes a day and switched them off before an…
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Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: The Science of Stealing Back Your Night
Staying up late to reclaim time the day took from you has a name, and a growing body of research.…
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Phantom Vibrations: Why You Feel Your Phone Buzz When It Didn’t
Most phone users have felt a buzz that wasn’t there. What studies of doctors and students reveal about phantom vibration…
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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Does Writing About Your Feelings Actually Help? What 40 Years of Research Says
In 1983 a psychologist asked students to write about their worst experiences for four nights. Here is what has held…
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Do Power Poses Actually Work? The Rise and Fall of a Famous Idea
A two-minute pose was supposed to change your hormones and boost your confidence. Here is what happened when scientists checked.
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The Stranger on the Train: Why We’re So Wrong About Talking to People We Don’t Know
We assume strangers want to be left alone. A decade of experiments, from Chicago trains to London commuters, says we…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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The Messy Desk Myth: What Really Happened When Scientists Tested Clutter and Creativity
A famous study said a messy room makes you more creative. A larger replication, a crisis in psychology and a…
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Enclothed Cognition: Can What You Wear Really Change How You Think?
A famous 2012 study suggested a lab coat could sharpen your attention. What later replications found about clothes, confidence and…
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DIY Fashion: Customizing Your Clothes Sustainably, Projects, Ideas To Try At Home
Circular Fashion & Wardrobe Upcycling Practical techniques, non-toxic dyeing methods, and structural alterations to transform worn-out garments into bespoke statement…
Recently updated
Stories our editors have revisited with new research, figures and sources.
More stories
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The Ben Franklin Effect: Why Asking a Rival for a Favour Can Win Them Over
In 1737 Benjamin Franklin disarmed a hostile politician by borrowing a book. Two centuries of psychology suggest the trick works,…
-
Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: The Science of Stealing Back Your Night
Staying up late to reclaim time the day took from you has a name, and a growing body of research.…
-
The Shrinking Circle: How Many Close Friends Adults Really Have, and Why It Matters
Fewer close friends and less time together: decades of survey data from the US and Britain reveal how adult friendship…
-
The Messy Desk Myth: What Really Happened When Scientists Tested Clutter and Creativity
A famous study said a messy room makes you more creative. A larger replication, a crisis in psychology and a…
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Can 36 Questions Make Two Strangers Fall in Love? The Science Behind the Viral Experiment
A list of questions from a 1997 psychology study became a worldwide dating phenomenon. Here is what the research actually…
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Why Endings Matter So Much: Inside the Peak-End Rule
Your memory of a holiday, a hospital visit or a relationship is shaped by two moments. Here is how the…