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 up it. Here is what does.
Updated
Articles our editors have substantially revised.
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 put that claim on trial.
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 invisible.
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 most can be quietened.
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.
The Spotlight Effect: You Think Everyone Noticed. About Half as Many Did
From a Barry Manilow T-shirt to your face in the corner of a Zoom call, 25 years of research shows how little others clock, and how to dim the glare.
That Unfinished Task Nagging You at Night? Your Memory Isn’t the Culprit
A 2025 review of nearly a century of studies found no memory boost for unfinished tasks, but a 67% pull to go back. Here’s how to quiet it.
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 when they fail.
Monday Feels Like a Clean Slate for a Reason. Here’s How to Use It on Any Day
Gym visits jump 47% when a new term starts. Newer studies show when that reset works, when it fizzles, and how to make your own.