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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 that really matters.
Latest
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Do Opposites Really Attract? A Century of Couples Says Mostly Not
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Procrastination Isn’t Laziness: It’s How We Dodge Bad Feelings, and How to Stop
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Does Wearing Red Make You More Attractive? The Rise and Fall of the Red Effect
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Does Writing About Your Feelings Actually Help? What 40 Years of Research Says
Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
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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.
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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…
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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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…
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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…
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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…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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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…
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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.…
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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Procrastination Isn’t Laziness: It’s How We Dodge Bad Feelings, and How to Stop
Putting things off is less about time or effort than about escaping an unpleasant feeling. Here is what the research…
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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.
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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Does Wearing Red Make You More Attractive? The Rise and Fall of the Red Effect
In 2008, psychologists said red made women more attractive to men. Then the replications came in. Here is what survived,…
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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…
Recently updated
Stories our editors have revisited with new research, figures and sources.
More stories
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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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
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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.…