Do You Really Need 10,000 Steps a Day? What the Research Actually Shows
The famous target began life as a pedometer name. Here is what five big studies say about the step count that really matters.
Do Opposites Really Attract? A Century of Couples Says Mostly Not
Films and fridge magnets say opposites attract. Data on thousands of couples tells a different, more interesting story.
Procrastination Isn’t Laziness: It’s How We Dodge Bad Feelings, and How to Stop
Putting things off is less about time or effort than about escaping an unpleasant feeling. Here is what the research shows, and six tools that follow from it.
Does Wearing Red Make You More Attractive? The Rise and Fall of the Red Effect
In 2008, psychologists said red made women more attractive to men. Then the replications came in. Here is what survived, and what to wear on a date.
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.