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One Sniff Can Take You Back 60 Years. Science Says Your Nose Keeps the Oldest Memories
In one study, smells sent people aged 65 to 83 back to ages 6 to 10, years earlier than words could reach. Here’s how to use that at home.
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You Don’t Grow to Look Like Your Partner. You Probably Looked Alike From Day One
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That Cringe Memory From Years Ago Isn’t Random. Your Brain Replays It for a Reason
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The $75,000 Happiness Ceiling Everyone Quotes Was Only Half Right. Here’s the Rest
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That Conversation You Keep Replaying Went Better Than You Think. Here’s the Science
Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
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You Don’t Grow to Look Like Your Partner. You Probably Looked Alike From Day One
A face-recognition test of 517 couples married for decades found no drift towards each other. The resemblance was there at…
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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…
Psychology
How people think, feel and behave, explained through research and real life.
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That Cringe Memory From Years Ago Isn’t Random. Your Brain Replays It for a Reason
Unbidden memories surface several times a day. The embarrassing ones sting hardest, and a short self-kindness exercise can take the…
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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…
Worth your time
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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,…
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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.…
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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…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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The $75,000 Happiness Ceiling Everyone Quotes Was Only Half Right. Here’s the Rest
Two rival scientists teamed up in 2023 and found money keeps lifting most people’s moods, with one telling exception.
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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…
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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That Conversation You Keep Replaying Went Better Than You Think. Here’s the Science
Strangers in five studies liked their partners more than they guessed. In one, the gap lasted most of a university…
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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…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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One Sniff Can Take You Back 60 Years. Science Says Your Nose Keeps the Oldest Memories
In one study, smells sent people aged 65 to 83 back to ages 6 to 10, years earlier than words…
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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…
Recently updated
Stories our editors have revisited with new research, figures and sources.
More stories
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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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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.
-
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…
-
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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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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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…