Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind. The mind dominates our view of the world around us. We react differently to the same situation depending on our mood. Our experiences during the formative period of childhood help to define our character and personality for the rest of our lives. Psychology can be applied to many different fields, including sports, music and education, but perhaps the most well-known is counselling. Counselling aims to help patients to be happier, more stable individals.

Good habits are life-changing: A psychologist's guide to hacking your brain's autopilot

Our lives are filled with habitual behaviours, both good and bad, but how do they form and how can we build better ones?

How to spot ‘dark empaths’, the dangerous psychopaths and narcissists who feel empathy

The view of a compassionless psychopath is outdated. In fact, new research shows that those with dark personality traits are much more complicated than that.

This article is scientifically proven to improve your willpower

Scientists are discovering there are some mind tricks that can take your powers of self-control to the next level…

Here’s how watching porn warps your thinking

New age checks are making us stop and think before accessing porn, and our brains could thank us for it

'Mental flexibility' is science's best predictor of lasting willpower. Here's how to improve yours

Psychologists are now finding that mental flexibility, not pushing through at all costs, is the real key to perseverance

Here’s what actually causes social anxiety (and how to overcome it)

Here's how you can conquer those totally natural conversational worries.

5 illusions that reveal how your brain warps reality

Your brain doesn’t see the world, it invents it. Welcome to the strange science of perception – and how to fix it when the illusion goes wrong

The simple habit elite snipers use to crush stress in seconds

How to use one of the body's stress responses to quieten the mind and make better decisions

Confidence is a trick that can be taught. Here's how

Neuroscience may have finally uncovered the secrets of self-belief

Your brain might be wired for extremism. Here's what you can do about it

Scientists are uncovering why some of us are more vulnerable to extreme ideologies than others

I was sceptical of self-hypnosis – until it started working…

Forget the swinging pocket watches, scientists are now praising hypnotherapy as a powerful tool to fight mental and physical pain

Here’s what exercise works best for your personality type

If you don't like your exercise regime don't give up – just try something new

AI therapy bots can be terrible. Unless you use these prompts

People are using AI chatbots as psychotherapists. We asked an actual therapist if that's a good idea

Here's how the powerful lose touch with reality, according to neuroscience

Evidence suggests power, like alcohol, has a tangible effect on the brain. But are its impacts always negative?

Why do we feel emotions in different parts of our bodies?

Where in your body do you feel anger or pride?

Here’s how narcissism shapes a person’s social media habits, study reveals

Obsession with social media could indicate the ways a person is obsessed with themselves

How has living with a narcissist affected me?

Long-term exposure to a narcissist might have turned you into an echoist

4 simple ways to overcome imposter syndrome, explained by psychologists

Ever feel like you’re an impostor? You’re not alone. Even the world’s most brilliant minds suffer from the fear of being ‘found out’.

How to be more attractive: 6 surprising lessons from science

From rollercoasters to butternut squash, there are plenty of ways to become more alluring

Here’s what makes some people easier to gaslight, according to a neuroscientist

Everything we believe about the world can be manipulated, says a hypnosis expert

Vegetarians react to eating meat like they would to eating poop, study suggests

Thanks, science

Does your name affect your physical appearance?

What's in a name? A lot, actually

Narcissism shows differently in men and women. Here’s how to spot it

Not every narcissist is a Patrick Bateman waiting in the wings

Why it’s time to rethink what happiness really means

Explaining exactly what's going on in our brains when we experience joy or pleasure remains frustratingly out of reach