The way we talk to bots matters even if they aren’t conscious
If more and more of our daily interactions are ungracious exchanges with machines, we should expect it to change us
by HennyGe Wichers
Ideas
Expert insights, perspectives and provocations to stimulate your mind
The evil eye is irrational. Abandon it at your peril
So many of the world’s superstitions have been supplanted by rational thinking. Why does one of the oldest beliefs persist?
by Timna Abramov
What does it mean to have relationship ambivalence?
When a relationship provokes both strong positive and negative feelings in you, it can take a toll – here’s what’s going on
by Francesca Righetti
Viagra has its upsides, sure. But has it changed sex for the better?
Video by BBC Ideas, The Open University
Inside the Alzheimer’s care centre where it’s always the 1950s
To make better memories, prioritise high peaks and happy endings
Talking to yourself isn’t just normal – it can be beneficial
Why major life decisions should be approached with ‘epistemic humility’
The Japanese dance tradition that finds beauty in weakness
The groundbreaking film that rejected plot to embrace the irrational
Popular
Jung’s archetypes are a mirror that shows who and what we are
Psychedelics and neuroscience seem to support his ideas about ancestral dreams and fears – but with an evolutionary twist
by Hugh McGovern
Why you should try living without free will for two weeks
Set aside the philosophical debates and act as if there is no free will. It leads to less blaming and better questions
by Tara-Lyn Camilleri
Your deepest regrets help you see yourself more clearly
Far from being a waste of time, the regrets that haunt you reveal more about who you are than your successes ever could
by Joshua Halberstam
Arabic has four words for sadness. Philosophy explains why
More subtly nuanced than standard diagnostic categories, Arabic lets speakers articulate a world of emotional experiences
by Chereen Shurafa
Why some men seek refuge in ever bigger muscles
Diagnoses of muscle dysmorphia or ‘bigorexia’ are rising. A psychoanalytic lens offers an explanation – and a healthier path
by Tom Wooldridge
Why you should talk to your dead ancestors
The simple act of communicating without expecting anything in return can bring you closer to your family – and to yourself
by Mariam Vahradyan
Sometimes, the road to virtue comes by way of vice
To work your character into better shape, be like a carpenter who fixes warped wood by bending it the opposite way
by Sabrina B Little
Popular
View allJung’s archetypes are a mirror that shows who and what we are
Psychedelics and neuroscience seem to support his ideas about ancestral dreams and fears – but with an evolutionary twist
by Hugh McGovern
Why you should try living without free will for two weeks
Set aside the philosophical debates and act as if there is no free will. It leads to less blaming and better questions
by Tara-Lyn Camilleri
Your deepest regrets help you see yourself more clearly
Far from being a waste of time, the regrets that haunt you reveal more about who you are than your successes ever could
by Joshua Halberstam
Maxxing treats life as a problem when it’s a mystery
The philosopher Gabriel Marcel offers the antidote to a grotesque new ideology: don’t fix existence, be open to it
by Håkon Evjemo
Terminal lucidity: when dying dementia patients regain awareness
The reports span centuries and cultures. If they’re real, memory and identity might be far more recoverable than we thought
by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston
Why women’s laughter has long been treated as a threat
Traditional patriarchy has always told women not to laugh. Today, female laughter still disturbs a male-dominated world
by Abílio Almeida
Is it morally wrong to not take care of yourself?
The philosophical debate goes on. But our research on self-obligations suggests there’s a common, consequential view
by Laura K Soter & Fan Yang
Why you should try living without free will for two weeks
Set aside the philosophical debates and act as if there is no free will. It leads to less blaming and better questions
by Tara-Lyn Camilleri
Logistics underpins power – and logistics is female
A women’s history of logistics from the battlefields of 19th-century Europe to middle-class households and sex trafficking
by Susan Zieger
Arabic has four words for sadness. Philosophy explains why
More subtly nuanced than standard diagnostic categories, Arabic lets speakers articulate a world of emotional experiences
by Chereen Shurafa
Sometimes, the road to virtue comes by way of vice
To work your character into better shape, be like a carpenter who fixes warped wood by bending it the opposite way
by Sabrina B Little
Writing letters is a spiritual practice for our age of speed
Handwritten letters seem like a remnant of pre-online life, but they connect us to ourselves and each other like nothing else
by Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein
Why do crowds make our emotional experiences more intense?
Being in a crowd amps up excitement, fear and other feelings. But there’s more to the phenomenon than ‘mob mentality’
by John Drury
Mother Teresa was virtuous, but she was wrong about virtue
There’s more to virtue than how we treat other individuals. ‘Structure-facing virtues’ tie the personal to the big picture
by Michael Brownstein & Alex Madva
Why we should learn to embrace the middlebrow
Stranded between ‘low’ and ‘high’ art, the middlebrow is unfairly condemned. It’s a ‘both/and’ mode capable of greatness
by Aaron Meskin & Jonathan Weinberg
Your deepest regrets help you see yourself more clearly
Far from being a waste of time, the regrets that haunt you reveal more about who you are than your successes ever could
by Joshua Halberstam
Why some men seek refuge in ever bigger muscles
Diagnoses of muscle dysmorphia or ‘bigorexia’ are rising. A psychoanalytic lens offers an explanation – and a healthier path
by Tom Wooldridge
Don’t turn away from tragedy, but do witness intentionally
Chronic exposure to the world’s horror has a mental cost. Being an effective witness requires a more sustainable approach
by Nena Močnik
What ancient art tells us about modern psychedelic medicine
Millennia-old rock paintings reflect a wisdom about healing that should inform today’s evolving psychedelic treatments
by William McCarthy