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Your Yellow Jumper Feels Happier for a Reason. It Just Isn’t Dopamine
A survey of 4,598 people in 30 nations shows how widely we share colour feelings, and where the dopamine dressing story outruns the science.
Latest
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Being Kind to Yourself After a Failure Won’t Make You Lazy. It Made Students Study Longer
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It Takes Over 200 Hours to Turn a Stranger Into a Close Friend. Here’s the Ladder
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Your Silent Phone on the Desk Might Be Draining Your Focus. The Evidence Is Messier
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The Dishes Aren’t Really the Problem. Here’s What Your Sink Fight Is Actually About
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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It Takes Over 200 Hours to Turn a Stranger Into a Close Friend. Here’s the Ladder
Each rung has its own hour count, and the hours you spend side by side at work barely move you…
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The Dishes Aren’t Really the Problem. Here’s What Your Sink Fight Is Actually About
In one major study, no chore mattered more to women’s relationship satisfaction, and the work behind the row is often…
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Losing a Best Friend Can Hurt Like a Break-Up. Here’s How Adult Friendships End
There is no ritual for a friend break-up, yet 1 in 2 US adults report loneliness. What the research says,…
Psychology
How people think, feel and behave, explained through research and real life.
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The Better You Know Something, the Worse You Explain It. Blame the Curse of Knowledge
Tappers expected listeners to name half their songs. Listeners got 1 in 40. The same gap shows up in emails,…
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Spilling Your Coffee Could Make People Like You More. There’s One Big Catch
A 1966 experiment found one clumsy blunder lifted a star’s appeal and sank an average performer’s. Here’s what decides which…
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Reading About a Yawn Can Make You Yawn. Here’s What Scientists Have Found
One study made people yawn with a magazine article. Another made them stop with a cold pack. Here is what…
Worth your time
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Losing a Best Friend Can Hurt Like a Break-Up. Here’s How Adult Friendships End
There is no ritual for a friend break-up, yet 1 in 2 US adults report loneliness. What the…
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Your £90 Fair-Trade Dress Can Cost Less Than an £18 One. Here’s Where the Money Goes
Fairtrade, GOTS, Fair Wear and B Corp promise very different things, and since September vague green claims are…
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Your Partner Is Quietly Sculpting Who You Become. Here’s How to Make It Good
Partners who believe in the self you’re aiming for help you get there. Push your own dream onto…
Modern Life
Work, technology, money habits and the way we live now.
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Your Silent Phone on the Desk Might Be Draining Your Focus. The Evidence Is Messier
A famous 2017 study said a phone in sight dulls the mind. Two meta-analyses and England’s new school phone rules…
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Your Phone Didn’t Buzz. Your Brain Did, and Scientists Have Traced the Clues
Up to 96% of stressed junior doctors feel buzzes that never happened. The culprits are expectation, worry and pressure, and…
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It’s 11pm and You’re Still Reading Bad News. Here’s What Your Brain Is Doing, Hour by Hour
Researchers found 16.5% of adults have a news habit that looks like a problem. The fix isn’t deleting every app.
Self-Growth
Habits, confidence, resilience and building a life that fits.
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Being Kind to Yourself After a Failure Won’t Make You Lazy. It Made Students Study Longer
In a Berkeley experiment, a few kind words after a failed test led to 50% more study time. Five myths…
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Your Body Clock Isn’t Lazy: 351 Genes Help Decide Whether You’re a Night Owl
In one trial, owls moved their sleep two hours earlier in three weeks without losing any sleep, and felt less…
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The One-Sentence Plan That More Than Doubled Exercise Rates, and How to Write Yours
A 2025 review of 642 tests says if-then plans still work, just less dramatically than the famous studies suggest. Here’s…
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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Your Yellow Jumper Feels Happier for a Reason. It Just Isn’t Dopamine
A survey of 4,598 people in 30 nations shows how widely we share colour feelings, and where the dopamine dressing…
-
Your £90 Fair-Trade Dress Can Cost Less Than an £18 One. Here’s Where the Money Goes
Fairtrade, GOTS, Fair Wear and B Corp promise very different things, and since September vague green claims are banned in…
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Your Clothes Can Change How You Think, Just Less Than the 2012 Lab Coat Study Claimed
A review of 40 studies backs the idea. The surprise is at home: comfy clothes beat office wear for remote…
More stories
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Your Phone Didn’t Buzz. Your Brain Did, and Scientists Have Traced the Clues
Up to 96% of stressed junior doctors feel buzzes that never happened. The culprits are expectation, worry and pressure, and…
-
It’s 11pm and You’re Still Reading Bad News. Here’s What Your Brain Is Doing, Hour by Hour
Researchers found 16.5% of adults have a news habit that looks like a problem. The fix isn’t deleting every app.
-
The Better You Know Something, the Worse You Explain It. Blame the Curse of Knowledge
Tappers expected listeners to name half their songs. Listeners got 1 in 40. The same gap shows up in emails,…
-
Losing a Best Friend Can Hurt Like a Break-Up. Here’s How Adult Friendships End
There is no ritual for a friend break-up, yet 1 in 2 US adults report loneliness. What the research says,…
-
Your £90 Fair-Trade Dress Can Cost Less Than an £18 One. Here’s Where the Money Goes
Fairtrade, GOTS, Fair Wear and B Corp promise very different things, and since September vague green claims are banned in…
-
Your Partner Is Quietly Sculpting Who You Become. Here’s How to Make It Good
Partners who believe in the self you’re aiming for help you get there. Push your own dream onto them, and…