Is Stuffy Air Making You Think Worse? What More Than a Decade of CO2 Research Shows
A famous Harvard study said fresher air doubled thinking scores. Later experiments muddied the picture. Here is what stale indoor air really does to your head.
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
Does Food Taste Better on a White Plate? The Science of Plates, Cutlery, Colour and Crunch
A white plate made strawberry mousse taste sweeter in an Oxford-led study. In a real restaurant, the story got more interesting. Here is what the tableware research shows.
Does Owning Less Make You Happier? What 175 Studies on Materialism Say About Minimalism
Studies link wanting less with feeling better. But the evidence is messier than the decluttering videos suggest, and the fix is not a new set of matching boxes.
The New Sofa Makes Your Rug Look Shabby. A Philosopher Described That Feeling in 1769
One upgrade can quietly set off a run of others. Experiments show when it happens, and how to stop the spiral before it hits your bank balance.
Money’s Tight and You Still Bought the Lipstick. Psychologists Have a Theory
Lipstick sales are said to rise in hard times. The data is messier, but the urge is real, and there is a smart way to indulge it.
Nearly a Third of Your Wardrobe Goes Unworn. Your Brain Did the Shopping
UK wardrobes hold about £30 billion of clothes unworn for a year. Six mental habits help explain it, and a short audit tackles most of them.
That Cosy Feeling Some Rooms Give You Isn’t Luck. It’s Light, Corners and Safety
Scientists asked 798 people to rate 200 interiors. One quality, hominess, explains why some rooms hold you and others don’t.
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.
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 the EU.
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 workers’ engagement.