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.
Style & Living
Style, home and the small rituals that shape how we live.
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.
That Calm You Feel by the Water Is Real, and a Canal or Fountain Can Do It Too
Poorer city dwellers living within 1 km of the sea had about 40% lower odds of mental distress. Here is what water seems to do to us.
Your Best Ideas Turn Up in the Shower for a Reason. Science Has Six of Them
Hot water is not the secret. A task that is just engaging enough is, and you can build one into any day without running the taps.
Fixing Your Own Clothes Feels Oddly Good. Here Are 6 Projects to Start With
Keep a garment nine months longer and its carbon, water and waste footprints fall by about a fifth to a third. Your needle is a climate tool.
Two Identical Jackets, One Costs More. Your Brain Is Paying for Where the Cloth Came From
Tweed, indigo, kente, ikat and khadi survive partly because we pay extra for origin. Here’s the psychology, and how to buy the real thing.