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Why we’re in tune with our emotions – but suck at judging our smarts

Why we’re in tune with our emotions – but suck at judging our smarts

9 December 2020

“Know thyself” is a piece of wisdom handed down from the ancients – but a slew of delusions and biases means you might be better off asking someone else


How to make your brain adaptive enough to cope with anything

How to make your brain adaptive enough to cope with anything

18 March 2019

Physicist, neuroscience author and Star Trek script writer Leonard Mlodinow shares the secrets to the kind of elastic thinking that has fuelled his diverse career


man with playing cards

Memory special: Is your memory normal?

24 October 2018

Why do some people remember what they did years ago, whereas others have no clue, but never forget a face or are trivia masters? Here's how to make sense of it


I Was Here sign

Memory special: Do we even know what memory is for?

24 October 2018

Remembering the past is useful, but the real purposes of memory may be quite different – from planning for the future to learning to communicate


Woman sitting on bench

Your brain power varies throughout the year, peaking in autumn

4 September 2018

Adults in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere perform better in cognitive tests in early autumn, and dementia symptoms peak in winter and spring


Boy’s brain works just fine after a large piece was removed

Boy’s brain works just fine after a large piece was removed

31 July 2018

A boy had a third of his right brain hemisphere removed to treat his epilepsy. His brain has now rearranged itself, preventing any cognitive impairment


Calling men by their surname gives them an unfair career boost

Calling men by their surname gives them an unfair career boost

25 June 2018

We are more likely to refer to professional men by their surname than women in the same jobs - making them sound more famous, eminent and worthy of awards


There are two types of worrier - which you are depends on genes

There are two types of worrier - which you are depends on genes

25 June 2018

The genomes of half a million people reveal that there are two kinds of worrier, providing new clues about how genes help form our personalities


Cannabis oil: what is it and does it really work as medicine?

Cannabis oil: what is it and does it really work as medicine?

22 June 2018

The UK government is reviewing medicinal cannabis after two boys with severe epilepsy were withheld cannabis oil treatments. Here's everything you need to know


A doughnut

Your brain absolutely cannot resist doughnuts - here's why

14 June 2018

Foods that are high in both carbohydrates and fats super-charge the activity in our brain’s reward centre, explaining why we find them so appealing


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