Do you lavish attention on others but rarely receive it? It’s time to get in touch with your own needs

Protecting yourself from the feelings that drive you may give you a sense of control – but it comes at a cost. Working through them allows you to lower your defences

Consuming arts and culture is good for health and wellbeing, research finds

Engaging with arts improves quality of life, increases productivity and creates financial ‘dividend’

Is it true that … most of us aren’t getting enough protein?

The general population needs far less protein than is often made out by influencers. Don’t miss out on other important aspects of your diet

Uncertainty is part of being human, so how can we learn to live with it?

A professor of statistics explains that living is about taking risks and not knowing the outcome, and why it’s important to accept and embrace that

How to wear sunscreen: ‘Put it on so it feels like there is too much on, then put more on’

Australia’s sun care guidelines differ depending on your skin tone – but most people are not adequately protecting themselves

Sold-out farm shops, smuggled deliveries and safety warnings: US battle over raw milk grows

Unpasteurised milk, seen as both anti-government and anti-corporate, soars in popularity among conspiracy theorists and new agers

From nightcaps to nightmares: the many ways alcohol disrupts your sleep

Despite Dr Alex George’s recent experience of sobriety negatively affecting his sleep, alcohol remains a reliable way to disrupt your rest, in the long and short term.

Steven Bartlett accused of amplifying dangerous health claims on his podcast

Experts say Dragons’ Den star’s Diary of a CEO podcast contained unfounded claims, including that evidence-based medication is ‘toxic’ for patients

‘Just do something you enjoy!’ Have official targets made exercise a chore – and happiness more elusive?

We all know roughly how many minutes we should be spending getting sweaty every week, thanks to repeated messages from national governments and the World Health Organization. When it comes to mental health, the picture is a lot less clear

Readers reply: When is laughter the best medicine?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Exercising for 30 minutes improves memory, study suggests

Research shows walk or cycle improves cognitive performance for day ahead – and day after

Is it true that … we should all drink more water?

Do we really need to gulp down eight glasses of water a day – or is it a myth? We ask an expert

‘I’d always enjoyed alcohol – but my mother’s sudden, violent death made me a heavy drinker overnight’

When she died, my life plunged into darkness and I turned to the bottle. It quickly became clear to me how trauma could change a moderate habit into a dangerous one

Misrule and martyrs: 10 dark midwinter traditions

This year, why not welcome the shadowy side of winter with an ancient ritual or two?

Experience: I was bitten by a spider – and nearly lost my leg

My entire leg was on fire. It was as if someone had slit it open with a knife