You’re preparing for a big event: a presentation, say, or a tennis match or a piano recital. Your mind wanders, envisioning every possible outcome. But what do you imagine? Do you picture yourself in ...

A few years ago, Jessica Pan – a young journalist living in London and with the world at her feet – found herself at a low point. Life had become predictable and samey. ‘I realised that I was using ...

To be liked by others is often treated as a paramount aim. The quest for social approval begins in childhood, and it continues in a range of ways throughout the lifespan as people try to find their ...

Does psychology truly improve wellbeing? Or merely help us adjust to an ‘insane’ system? Erich Fromm on mental health in 1960 ...

Watson’s treatment is revealing of society’s wider attitude toward single people. In 2019, she told Vogue that this ‘subliminal messaging’ was so strong that it had seeped into her psyche causing her ...

I envy voracious book readers. They seem worldly and wise. Also, whatever is happening in their lives, they’re never completely on their own – they always have their books. My mother is one of these ...

A criminal investigation is a complex, multifaceted problem-solving challenge. Detectives must make critical decisions rapidly – sometimes involving life and death, based on limited information in a ...

Have you ever had a decent conversation in a lift? If not, join the club – being in a lift with a stranger is a universally awkward experience. One reason is the typical duration of a lift journey – ...

What do you see when you stare in the mirror? I don’t ask this as a philosophical question, more a literal one. Do you like the way you look? Do you immediately notice flaws – a nose you wish was ...

Amid an 18-year prison sentence for bank robbery, a member of the Stopwatch Gang reflects on the fluid nature of time ...

‘Does this text message look OK?’ ‘I turned off the stove, right?’ ‘Should I be worried about this ache?’ ‘Do you think I’m doing the right thing?’ ‘Will you always love me?’ ‘Is everything going to ...

Over breakfast one April day in 1778, James Boswell asked Samuel Johnson why he gave up booze. Dr Johnson replied that he didn’t like to lose power over himself, but assured his friend that he would ...