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 up since, and how to try it.
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 election. Here is what each study found.
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 will.
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 others.
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 recover.
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, with caveats.
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. Here is why we do it and what genuinely helps.
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 is changing, and how to push back.
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 misattributed Einstein quote tell a different story.
Can 36 Questions Make Two Strangers Fall in Love? The Science Behind the Viral Experiment
A list of questions from a 1997 psychology study became a worldwide dating phenomenon. Here is what the research actually found about how closeness is built.