The problem with the nudge effect: it can make you buy more carrots – but it can’t make you eat them

It has long been thought that psychological tactics can persuade consumers to adopt much healthier habits. But it turns out there is a hitch …

Music helps you get fit – but the right mix will keep you coming back…

Finding tunes with a tempo and rhythm to match your heart rate can help you keep the pace when you exercise – and make it more enjoyable

‘I was 49 when I had my last drink’: Harriet Tyce

After drinking and making a fool of herself for 35 years, the writer realised that’s not how she wanted to be remembered

If you live to 100, you might as well be happy: what poverty, jail and war have taught author Rhee Kun Hoo

Joy is all around us, according to the bestselling South Korean author. Here’s what he has learned from a long and often hard life

Being diagnosed with dyslexia has made me happier

Throughout her life, Danyah Miller developed coping mechanisms to help deal with certain challenges. Would she have thrived if she had known about dyslexia, or would a label have limited her?

That yearning feeling: why we need nostalgia

Often misused by politicians, nostalgia is a positive emotion that could do with a makeover

Is writing down my rage the secret to resolving it?

New research reveals that listing your grievances on a piece of paper, then throwing them away may make you less angry. So I gave it a try, writes Emma Beddington

Do you want to receive more love? First get to know your superego

It’s the internal voice whose strict, unbending standards can make us miserable. But tuning in to it can change everything

I was abused as a child, but now my mother needs care

Manage your mum’s care from a distance, says Philippa Perry. Don’t get sucked into her orbit

‘Smell is really important for social communication’: how technology is ruining our senses

Scientists say an overreliance on sight and sound is having a detrimental effect on people’s wellbeing and that our devices should deliver a multisensory experience

The vorfreude secret: 30 zero-effort ways to fill your life with joy

How can you change your life for the better today? Learn not just to appreciate happiness – but to anticipate it

‘I didn’t want to hurt that girl. I just felt this pressure building … ’ The sociopath who learned to behave – and found happiness

Patric Gagne has spent most of her life fighting terrible urges. She is also a loving sister, daughter, mother and wife. She talks about her remarkable journey

The Ritual Effect by Michael Norton review – standing on ceremony

From Rafael Nadal’s ball-bouncing to families’ Christmas traditions, what purpose does ritualistic behaviour serve?

A friendship dating back to teenage years is one to treasure, especially during a crisis

It’s not easy to maintain the closeness of the relationships of our youth but friends we grew up with deserve a special effort, writes Abigail Dean

Feeling empty inside, one sociologist found answers by exploring his own traumatic childhood

Along the way Corey Keyes developed concepts of languishing and flourishing which others have found helpful, writes Genevieve Fox