All based on research-backed psychology and ideas from therapy — How and why do we make ourselves more miserable than we need to be? Why do we make life so difficult without even noticing? Luckily, psychology can explain what’s going on, and therapy can help and advise. Here’s a list of the things we can quit right now for an…

Men act exactly as you’d expect, says science — Sometimes, scientific studies arrive with startling results that no one expected. They have to be carefully analysed, with possible reasons for the results considered and then meticulously tested for us to really understand. These are the studies that really move our understanding on. But sometimes, a study comes along and…

Research offers three possibilities for how this too-good-to-be-true method can actually work — A new study has apparently found that Gen Xers believe acne to make you appear less professional in the workplace. It can make you feel self-conscious, feel unattractive, and get you down. I know, because I had it badly, back before Gen X came along to judge me. If there’s…

You can shrink it the bit that makes you anxious and thicken the bits that keep you happy — There’s a part of your brain that’s largely responsible for stress, anxiety and misery. The harder it works, the bigger it physically gets, and the more you suffer the consequences. If we don’t use it, like never using a muscle, it starts to shrink and lose its strength. Then we…

Develop the ideal blend of thinking like a rich person and a poor person — At 35, I had no money. I was working part-time, making just enough to live. Then something changed. My finances U-turned. It’s surprisingly easy to reach 35 with unchallenged bad money habits. It’s surprisingly hard to realise you’re approaching 40 and still have nothing. …

An impromptu snooze is a superpower, and the same methods can get you drifting off at night, fast. — This one’s a gamechanger. Productivity, alertness, memory, mood, vigilance and health — all improved by taking 25 minutes out of your day for a quick snooze. Let’s look at the whys, whens and hows of the perfect power nap, and how those methods can help you sleep at night, too. Why so short? …

Offer an Endless Summer and just see what happens — Back in 1966, the Beach Boys were sitting on top of the world. At the height of Beatlemania, a Rolling Stone poll put the Beach Boys as number one. Pet Sounds, an album still often touted as the greatest ever, had just been released. Their biggest-ever single, Good Vibrations, would…

Components from psychology and the world of acting will add up to the most charismatic version of you. — Charisma isn’t magic. As an acting coach, I teach young actors how to bring it out in themselves and have chemistry with their scene partners. As a psychology fan and writer, I love to look deeper into the hows and the whys through science’s eyes. Here it is, all laid…

These books are used by therapists to bring genuine psychological change. — When I was training in therapy, one of the things I found fascinating was the transformational power of stories, and in particular, metaphors. Our minds can make new connections when hearing these stories and apply those connections to our own lives. When a story like this hits home, people make…