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Psychology

Essays and videos offering insights into the self, relationships, cognition and neuroscience
Jelena’s song | Aeon
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video

Wellbeing

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

28 minutes

The doll | Aeon
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video

Life stages

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

33 minutes

Family passages | Aeon
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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

Cluster feeding | Aeon
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video

Life stages

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

3 minutes

Not just a bowl of fruit | Aeon
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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

The great regression | Aeon
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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

Connected | Aeon
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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

Nadia’s songs | Aeon
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video

Music

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

5 minutes

The great malaise | Aeon
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video

Wellbeing

Wry animations expose the gap between anxious aspiration and real life

5 minutes

The parentified child | Aeon
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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

Senior prom | Aeon
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video

Gender and identity

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

14 minutes

The field trip | Aeon
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video

Work

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

12 minutes

The development of mindreading | Aeon
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video

Philosophy of mind

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

7 minutes

Fifty per cent | Aeon
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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

ORIGINALAlison Gopnik: Cognition, care and spirituality | Aeon
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video

Philosophy of mind

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

7 minutes

Why do we sleep? | Aeon
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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

The fog of grief | Aeon
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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

Inga | Aeon
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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

HAGS (have a good summer) | Aeon
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video

Life stages

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

9 minutes

You are a network | Aeon
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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

Talking heads | Aeon
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video

Childhood and adolescence

Want an unvarnished window into the world of kids? Try cutting their hair

15 minutes

Huntsville station | Aeon
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video

Human rights and justice

A bus station is the first stop on the road to freedom for former inmates in Texas

14 minutes

Durango | Aeon
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video

Childhood and adolescence

Two brothers discuss girls, death and leaving home one aimless summer in Colorado

14 minutes

Estranged | Aeon
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essay

Family life

Estranged

When feeling good about ourselves matters more than filial duty, cutting off our parents comes to seem like a valid choice

Joshua Coleman