January
Arbitration won’t change psychiatrists’ resignation plans: union
The workplace umpire’s urgent intervention has failed to stop the threat of a mass exit of doctors that could deplete the NSW hospitals’ workforce by a third.
- David Marin-Guzman and Paul Karp
- Opinion
- Phones
Smartphones don’t suck. People do
These devices have come to operate a bit like dummies for adults: a temporary distraction from our hunger for connection, meaning and purpose.
- Sophie McBain
‘We lost everything’: How wildfires leave psychological scars
Researchers found that about 4 per cent of the people affected by a bushfire in Victoria, Australia, were still suffering distress a decade later.
- Emily Schmall and Katie Mogg
December 2024
Making New Year’s resolutions? Take these 5 tips to help them stick
Studies have shown that up to 70 per cent of people who make such pledges in January abandon those good intentions within months. Don’t be one of them.
- Maria Cheng
It’s a Wonderful Life is a ritual, but its darkness must be dealt with
The organisers of a festival celebrating Frank Capra’s classic holiday film are finally tackling the difficult subject at its heart.
- Erik Piepenburg
November 2024
Six signs that you are charismatic
Donald Trump’s got it. Anthony Albanese doesn’t. A candidate’s charisma is a bigger electoral factor than previously given credit for, writes psychologist Pete Quarry.
- Peter Quarry
Aphantasia: What it’s like when your mind’s eye is blind
When a viral tweet made Yolanda Redrup realise she couldn't create a picture in her mind it changed her understanding of herself and the world around her.
- Updated
October 2024
Adult learning is brutal – but tapping your emotions will help
Adult brains are wired differently from children’s and that’s why learning new skills can seem so hard. But don’t give up.
- Julie Hare
How office workers are losing their social skills
Consultants say incidents of inappropriate workplace behaviour are becoming more common as increasing technology use erodes our people skills.
- Euan Black
September 2024
Why Kamala Harris’ laugh might help her beat Trump
The US presidential candidate has a smile and laugh that actually play well to our evolutionary instincts. They could lift her faltering campaign.
- Peter Quarry
Just three glasses of wine a week can shrink your brain
It’s not just your liver you should worry about – alcohol has been found to change humans’ cerebral anatomy. Here’s what you need to know.
- Emily Craig
Your bigger brain comes with a downside – faster ageing
A study comparing chimpanzees and humans suggests the regions that grew the most during evolution are the most susceptible to old age.
- Carl Zimmer
August 2024
The latest trend to improve your sleep
There’s a growing buzz about a rainbow of soothing sounds and their theoretical effects on concentration and the relaxation response.
- Carla Johnson
July 2024
Work friends can be hard to find. How to combat workplace loneliness
Remote work has only intensified a problem that has been bubbling for decades.
- Melissa Rayworth
Are you guilty of these eight unhealthy ‘microaggressions’?
Such behaviour can have a serious impact on mental and physical wellbeing, including depression and sleeping problems, say experts – so it may pay to avoid it.
- George Chesterton
Why you probably need to rethink your bucket list
Rather than grand plans, small actions every day are the key to achieving happiness and a sense of worth.
- Lucy Dean
Making new friends can be hard. Here are five ways to make one a year
Many modern factors, including remote work, social media and a higher focus on convenience in everyday life, such as home streaming, have increased loneliness.
- Emma Nadler
June 2024
Yes, drinking coffee can cause anxiety
Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the part of the body responsible for your fight-or-flight response. Here are three ways to stop it becoming a problem.
- Hannah Singleton
To live longer, wear rose-coloured glasses
Studies show optimistic people are more likely to live a healthier, longer life – and you can change your health by changing your attitude.
- Albert Stumm
The trouble with psychedelics
The gold-standard methodology for testing a drug’s efficacy, the double-blind trial, does not work for substances that affect the mind.
- Jonathan Lambert