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 ...

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

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

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

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

Motivation is notoriously fickle. Here’s why having more fun in the moment helps you stick with your goals for the long haul ...

To resist dogma and accept uncertainty, think like a pragmatist Founded in 19th-century America, the philosophy of pragmatism promises imaginative ways of coping with our circumstances ...

You may have found yourself tearing up at the movies or after hearing certain news. And you may have also found yourself discreetly wiping those tears away, lest you seem overly emotional. Cry me a ...

Derek van Zoonen is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas at the University of Oslo, Norway.