The psychological trauma of reading the news
Is compulsively doom-scrolling and checking the news the cause of our anxiety or a symptom of it?
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Science of Us
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Science of Us
Are you mentally ill, or very unhappy? Psychiatrists can’t agree
As rates of diagnosis rise, a fierce debate rages in psychiatry. Are we experiencing a parallel pandemic, or having a…
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Inside the minds of serial killers – with the woman who treats them
The forensic psychologist Dr Rebecca Myers on working with the most notorious figures in the criminal justice system.
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Pragya Agarwal: “Gender stereotypes are so deeply embedded in society”
The scientist and writer on being “over-emotional”, sexism in the workplace, and why women’s pain is less likely to be…
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The psychoactive plants that change our consciousness
It is fascinating to learn how three plant-derived drugs – caffeine, opium and mescaline – can shape society.
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How psychedelics change lives
The writer Michael Pollan on becoming a psychonaut in his fifties – and why tripping is political.
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Are premonitions more than coincidence?
The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight is a propulsive but flawed examination of the rationality of chance.
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Can we inherit our ancestors’ trauma?
A therapist wondered if my family history could help explain my terrible homesickness on moving to Canada. Is she right?
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Marianne Eloise: “People dismiss your illness if you’re not bleeding on the floor”
The writer’s memoir uses her life as someone diagnosed as autistic to fuel intense dives into pop culture.
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It’s no surprise fathers need help with postnatal depression
The problems are the same for all new parents, not just the birth mother – too much screaming, too little…
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Prince Andrew and the false memory wars
The claim that sexual assault victims may be mistaken about their memories has become a political and scientific battleground.
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How do we solve our pandemic fatigue?
There needs to be a way to talk about what we have lost that acknowledges both the real risks of…
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Sorry-not-sorry: the science behind Boris Johnson’s non-apology
The Prime Minister might have said “sorry” for attending a party during lockdown, but his language suggested no remorse or…
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How Google makes you know less but think you know more
Experiments have found that constant googling is leading people to mistake the internet’s knowledge as their own.
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Why I’m wary of the ADHD industrial complex
I used to think it would help that influencers are raising awareness about a disorder I struggle with. Today, I’m…
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Richard Dawkins interview: “What I say in biology has become pretty much orthodoxy”
At 80, the evolutionary scientist and atheist still courts controversy. Will his influence survive a passion for social media?
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Why the thought of another lockdown is so terrifying
We still haven’t processed the psychological trauma of last year.
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The great Covid social burnout: why are we so exhausted?
It’s not just you – the pandemic has changed our brain psychology.
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What WhatsApp has taught me about friendship
When so many of us are trying to wean ourselves off our phones and “unplug” from social media, it feels…
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“Society is ableist”: Alice Hattrick on gender, chronic illness and long Covid
The author talks about their new book Ill Feelings, and why women are too frequently dismissed by doctors.
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