Psychology

A father forgets his child’s name for the first time in this poetic reflection on memory

4 minutes

The kratom question

Millions are turning to an unregulated herbal extract to curb their opioid addiction. But do the risks outweigh the benefits?

Xi Chen

The commodified childhood – scenes from two sisters’ lives in the creator economy

14 minutes

Why nothing matters

It took centuries for people to embrace the zero. Now it’s helping neuroscientists understand how the brain perceives absences

Benjy Barnett

The highly sensitive person

Those with this little-known trait think more deeply and feel more empathy. But they also deal with significant challenges

Elaine Aron

Hegemony and childcare

Early childhood development interventions in the Global South is a huge industry built on highly questionable assumptions

Francesca Mezzenzana & Gabriel Scheidecker

The art in the analyst’s room

The consulting office reflects the personality of the therapist, while also subtly shaping the experience of their patients

Anna Parker

Through rituals of prayer, a monk cultivates a quietly radical concept of freedom

4 minutes

Why Susan listens to recordings of herself speaking a language she no longer remembers

5 minutes

Psychodynamic nonsense

After decades of practising psychotherapy, I believe it has little foundation in science and often causes harm

Niklas Serning

The migrants missing in Mexico, and the mothers who won’t stop searching for them

21 minutes

The power of prayer

Praying is a cognitive practice full of problem-solving resources. You can learn from it even if you don’t want to do it

Eleanor Schille-Hudson

One family’s harrowing escape from postwar Vietnam, told in a poignant metaphor

10 minutes