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What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?

7 July 2021

New insights into the different states of human consciousness and where it occurs in the brain are helping us crack the mystery of what gives rise to felt experience

Evolution tells us why there are two types of leader in today's world

1 July 2020

The leadership styles of Donald Trump and Jacinda Ardern are dramatically different, but our evolutionary history explains both – and why our preferences have changed

When a smile is not a smile – what our facial expressions really mean

12 February 2020

Smiling and other facial expressions aren't displays of feelings that transcend cultures but turn out to be full of hidden meaning

The disorientated ape: Why clever people can be terrible navigators

12 December 2018

The human sense of direction is extraordinarily variable. Now we know why some people are so good at getting lost

How to hack your unconscious… to boost your memory and learn better

25 July 2018

It seems like hard conscious work, but much of the learning process goes on deep in the mind. Here are the top tips to improve how you recall facts

How to hack your unconscious… to take control of pain

25 July 2018

You can determine the amount of pain you perceive – pleasant smells, loving touches and foul language can all be powerful pain-busters

How to hack your unconscious… to conquer your fears

25 July 2018

Fear helps us survive, but phobias ruin lives. Some simple tricks send signals to your brain to allow you to feel the right amount of fear

How to hack your unconscious… to find your inner creativity

25 July 2018

Aha! moments of inspiration seem to come from nowhere – but the counterintuitive key to a creative brain is to defocus your thoughts

Lifting the lid on the unconscious

25 July 2018

Some 95 per cent of thought happens below the radar – by understanding how that works, you can game the system to beat your bad habits and unconscious biases