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Psychology

Essays and videos offering insights into the self, relationships, cognition and neuroscience
A detailed pencil sketch depicts a chaotic scene with fallen bodies, horses, and a broken chariot, with distressed figures in the foreground.
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video

Life stages

What Michelangelo’s late-in-life works reveal about his genius – and his humanness

13 minutes

A serene landscape of snowy trees and hills set against a backdrop of a yellow sky and blue mountain range, with a bird flying by.
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video

Stories and literature

Robert Frost’s poetic reflection on youth, as read in his unforgettable baritone

5 minutes

Illustration of two people sitting on colourful hills, gazing at a starry night sky with a crescent moon.
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video

Ageing and death

Demystifying death – a palliative care specialist’s practical guide to life’s end

4 minutes

A young black man wearing a blue checkered shirt and glasses is speaking into a microphone with a pop filter, reading off of a paper, against a plain white background.
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video

Biography and memoir

A young autistic man’s heartfelt letter to the beloved mother he lost

12 minutes

Three columns of black-and-white photo-booth portraits of a woman making various expressions, including surprise, contemplation and playfulness.
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video

Wellbeing

Through a poetic account of childhood trauma, one woman reclaims her past

28 minutes

A woman wearing a maroon hat, earrings, a floral scarf, and an owl brooch, with city lights blurred in the background at night.
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video

Life stages

At 14, Asal is excited about her engagement. Her relatives all have their own opinions

33 minutes

A man with glasses and two boys walk together on a city street along a row of shops.
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essay

Life stages

Family passages

Each new generation learns from its elders. But familial voices now compete for influence with a chorus of urgent others

Elizabeth Svoboda

A woman with long, wavy red hair and a neutral expression, seated indoors with a blurred background.
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video

Life stages

An unvarnished, poetic account of a new mother’s struggle to breastfeed

3 minutes

Elderly person with short red hair looking to the left, draped in a dark background. She is posing for a nude drawing class.
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video

Ageing and death

‘It’s not beautiful, but it’s interesting’ – an ageing nude model surveys her body

4 minutes

Person with short hair and striped shirt, holding a toy aeroplane, wearing denim overalls with a doll in the pocket and red goggles around their neck.
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essay

Subcultures

The great regression

To understand why so many adults are acting just like children, don’t blame Millennials – look to Japan in the 1990s

Matt Alt

Two people wearing helmets and high-visibility jackets riding a vehicle in a snowy environment, with headsets and microphones for communication.
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video

Love and friendship

Skiing blind is a challenge – but it helps to have a loved one to guide you

20 minutes

Close-up of mixtape labelled “Nadia” showing a man in glasses smoking, another person visible on the left, text listing songs at the bottom.
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video

Music

Nick ponders the life of the mysterious girl whose used CDs shaped his teenage years

5 minutes

Drawing of an orange crab with an ice cream cone shell with sprinkles and a cherry on top, framed by a green ornamental border.
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video

Wellbeing

Wry animations expose the gap between anxious aspiration and real life

5 minutes

Two people with backpacks on an escalator in a brightly lit underground train station, with posters on the walls.
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essay

Childhood and adolescence

The parentified child

When parents cast a child into the role of mediator, friend and carer, the wounds are profound. But recovery is possible

Nivida Chandra

Elderly person wearing a tiara and a “Prom Queen” sash, smiling at a dance, with balloons and a chandelier in the background.
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video

Gender and identity

LGBTQ+ retirees celebrate their hard-earned self-acceptance at a belated prom night

14 minutes

Children role-playing in an office; one wears a hard hat while another checks papers. Wall has “INTEGRITY” and “RESPONSIBILITY” signage.
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video

Work

‘Why does life have to be so complicated?’ A school trip to the world of work

12 minutes

Illustration of a woman looking at a happy 4-month-old baby, connected by dashed arrows.
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video

Philosophy of mind

Forget babbling and toddling – mindreading is babies’ most incredible skill

7 minutes

Two people sit on a colourful sofa with floral cushions and a painting on the wall behind them. One person is resting on the other’s shoulder.
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video

Meaning and the good life

To know or not to know? Lillian weighs the costs of a life-changing genetic test

10 minutes

Illustration of a woman in a red top and pink skirt holding hands with a child wearing a grey top and dark shorts, surrounded by abstract shapes.
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video

Philosophy of mind

Caring for the vulnerable opens gateways to our richest, deepest brain states

7 minutes

A child lying on a boat surrounded by corals, large shells, and handmade jewellery, with blue water in the background.
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essay

Sleep and dreams

Why do we sleep?

Adults sleep less than babies. Sperm whales sleep less again. A new mathematical theory unlocks the mysteries of slumber

Van Savage & Geoffrey West

Two people embracing in a graveyard next to headstones and flowers, one holding a jug and wrapped items.
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essay

Life stages

The fog of grief

The five stages of grief can’t begin to explain it: grief affects the body, brain and sense of self, and patience is the key

April Reese

Person wading into a misty lake at dawn, as seen from a forested shoreline with bare trees and a wooden dock with a towel.
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video

Life stages

Love evolves and death isn’t worth your worry – life lessons from an 88-year-old

7 minutes

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video

Life stages

A filmmaker reflects on his adolescence with the help of some long-lost friends

9 minutes

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essay

Philosophy of mind

You are a network

You cannot be reduced to a body, a mind or a particular social role. An emerging theory of selfhood gets this complexity

Kathleen Wallace