Psyche Magazine

When a tricky task makes your brain hurt, here’s what to do Although thinking hard is a daily experience, psychologists are only just beginning to understand how aversive it can be by Todd Vogel The neural reward that makes avoiding your fears feel so good We’re told that facing our fears can help us overcome them – but this misses the other intoxicating part of the equation by Muhammad Badarnee & Mohammed R Milad How to think differently about procrastination Avoid the trap of thinking...

Jealousy can be a useful, insightful emotion – if you manage it well. Get curious about your jealousy to get a grip on it by Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly is a clinical psychologist, life fulfilment expert and author based in Sonoma County, California. With a direct and honest approach, plus a dose of humour, she enjoys supporting others in the ever-evolving journey of life. Her books include Joy from Fear (2019), Date Smart (2021) and The Joy of Imperfect Love (2024).

https://player.vimeo.com/video/78949718 The Southeast Asian sport of sepak takraw is a hybrid of football and volleyball in which two teams separated by a net score points by grounding a ball in their opponents’ territory without using their hands. And, as this short documentary captures, when played at a high level it’s thrilling to watch, requiring balance, precision, cooperation and acrobatic high kicks from its players.

by Sawa Kurotani, professor of anthropology All images supplied by and © the author All images supplied by and © the author Sawa Kurotani is professor of anthropology at the University of Redlands, California, US. She is the author of Home Away from Home: Japanese Corporate Wives in the United States (2005). Listen to this article 11 minute listen Alone in the cluttered spare bedroom of my mother’s apartment in Japan, I found myself surrounded by the accumulated contents of our family’s life.

How to be a man Old ideas of manliness make us miserable. Being labelled ‘toxic’ doesn’t help.

A philosophical approach can help you identify what truly matters We’re often taught to live according to our values, but this is easier said than done without pausing to reflect deeply by Valerie Tiberius Why doing your best is sometimes the worst thing you can do The injunction to ‘do your best’ can get in the way of moral self-development.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/2n8W6CBxc64 Having a regular creative practice – music, writing, crafting, painting or whatever your preferred medium may be – has been shown to increase your overall sense of wellbeing. And, as the Australian artist and YouTube creator Campbell Walker (aka Struthless) discusses in this whimsical homespun video, in our era of infinite social feeds, making things has the added benefit of liberating you from the dreaded doom-scroll.

Too many men lack close friendships. What’s holding them back? Some masculine norms are a straightjacket, depriving men of the connections they need. It takes bravery to leave them behind by Angelica Puzio Ferrara Why some men seek refuge in ever bigger muscles Diagnoses of muscle dysmorphia or ‘bigorexia’ are rising. A psychoanalytic lens offers an explanation – and a healthier path by Tom Wooldridge How to be a man Old ideas of manliness make us miserable. Being labelled ‘toxic’ doesn’t help.

How to be excellent Plato and Aristotle can help you resist conventional worldly success, direct your energy and find your own highest calling by Benjamin Studebaker Lessons about learning from ancient Greek philosophers What Aristotle and Epicurus can teach us about learning through collaboration, movement, place and embodiment by Tom Bielik To make online learning more three-dimensional, let it be bumpy Effective online teaching requires actively tuning into students’ needs, to ensure...

by Sarah Emmerson, counselling psychologist Photo by Digital Vision/Getty Images Photo by Digital Vision/Getty Images Sarah Emmerson is a counselling psychologist and co-founder of Talking Women, a private psychology practice in London, UK, specialising in perinatal and women’s mental health issues. She writes the Substack Becoming Women. Listen to this article 13 minute listen ‘I’m just not strong enough to handle it. My mother did all this and she had three kids. I can’t even cope with one.