Rejection spreadsheets: would 1,000 knockbacks make you a better person?

Online, people are documenting their attempts to clock up as many ‘nos’ as they can this year. Is this actually the best possible route to more ‘yeses’ than you’re used to?

Having synaesthesia is a lot like being a twin – we don’t know any different

Identical twins Helen Besgrove, a marketing executive, and Kirsty Neal, a GP, share their different experiences perceiving the world

The perfect way to do nothing: how to embrace the art of idling

We are often so busy and yet when the opportunity arises to do nothing, we can find it uncomfortable. Here’s how to lean into boredom – and unlock the imagination

As a student, he was involved in a drunk-driving incident that killed a cyclist. Years later he would become expert in the healing powers of guilt

Psychologist Chris Moore saw first-hand how powerful and complex an emotion it is

The secret to being happy in 2026? It’s far, far simpler than you think …

Stop stressing about self‑improvement or waiting until you’re on top of everything. This year give yourself permission to prioritise pleasure

I taste words. ‘Bob’ is like a milk chocolate Easter egg on my tongue

Monique Todorovski, a clinical administrator, shares her experience of lexical-gustatory synaesthesia

Endings are hard, but facing them helps us to heal

I understand the temptation to run away – I have felt it too. Try to stay in the room, and in the moment. You’ll be glad you did

If toxic humility is a thing, I definitely have it. But perhaps there’s another way

We’re taught that modesty is good and pride is bad. This ignores the fact that telling ourselves we’re OK is actually beneficial, writes Emma Beddington

Does ‘laziness’ start in the brain?

Understanding the surprising mechanism behind apathy can help unlock scientific ways to boost your motivation

Is there a dark side to gratitude?

Feeling thankful is increasingly touted as a cure-all, but sometimes there are reasons not to be grateful

Am I a type A personality – and should I care?

Videos about personality science are going viral on social media, but beware of giving them credence, writes Arwa Mahdawi

Why do we yawn? It’s almost certainly not for the reason you think

Given that we’ve literally grown up with them, we often know surprisingly little about how our bodies work. This new series aims to fill the gaps

Growing up, Bianca could never predict her father’s moods: the disorientation of an emotionally immature parent echoed into her adulthood

In therapy, we began with acknowledging this was not her fault. From there, we worked to rebuild Bianca’s sense of agency

The peacock parent problem: how to survive being raised by a narcissist

Psychotherapist Kathleen Saxton has written a book about growing up with a mother or father who is grandiose, entitled, exploitative and lacking in empathy. She discusses how to recognise the signs – and recover

How modern life makes us sick – and what to do about it

From depression to obesity, the concept of ‘evolutionary mismatch’ can help foster self-compassion and point the way to a more rewarding existence