Chimpanzees favour the colour red. Junglefowl prefer symmetry. Our shared capacity for aesthetic pleasure is cause for wonder ...

If an outright refusal feels rude but you don’t want to have to explain, here’s how to say ‘no’ the Japanese way ...

Other practices like sermons, yoga and retreats can also trigger ‘spiritual boredom’. Here’s why it’s normal and even useful ...

Some musical rhythms are built to get us bobbing, foot-tapping or dancing. Researchers show how rhythmic complexity matters ...

What studying people without a ‘mind’s eye’ reveals about the role of imagery in the experience of emotion and memory ...

Swapping office work for the herding life, Adham finds a sublime freedom in the rugged terrain of the Pyrenees ...

Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic ...

Yet another important factor to consider in memories for fiction is believability. This is distinct from ‘ontological intuitiveness’ (our sense that dragons are not real or that humans cannot fly). It ...

How to deal with being bullied at work You might understandably feel trapped and powerless, but there is a range of steps you can take to improve your situation by Pat Ferris ...

How to gain more from your reading There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading by Robert DiYanni ...

Empathy is an aesthetic practice that relies on our capacity to delight in, and respond with reverence to, the world around us ...