One in three Ukrainian civilians estimated to meet the criteria for PTSD or complex PTSD – new study
Resilience is a word frequently used to describe the way Ukrainian society has responded to the war with Russia. It’s a term that can inspire sympathy and mobilise support. But it also risks overshadowing effects of war that require both domestic and international attention to enable Ukraine to withstand Russia’s invasion and manage long-term recovery. […]
How deep do AI relationships really go? An expert in attachment theory explains
SvetaZi/Shutterstock Attachment is the term psychologists use for the most significant relationships that hold people’s lives together. But what makes an attachment relationship different from all others? According to the pioneering American-Canadian developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth, it must meet the following six conditions. (1) The relationship must persist over time, having (2) been formed with […]
Social media hasn’t killed personal style, it’s killed how we communicate it
This summer, social media was filled with posts declaring that almost anything was “kinda chic”. Repeating outfits was kinda chic. Being overdressed was kinda chic. Doing something unfashionable could, apparently, also be kinda chic. But can you remember the content of many individual “kinda chic” posts now? Probably not. What is much easier to remember […]
The UK’s pension triple lock has done its job and needs to be retired
The UK’s pension triple lock has only been in place for 15 years. But it’s done the job it was brought in to do, and now it should be scrapped. So the prime minister is right to want to change it. Because while it’s been widely treated as politically untouchable, the triple lock is very […]
Reading, socialising and doing puzzles can help preserve cognitive health – large study shows
Zuev Ali/ Shutterstock Puzzles, brain-training games and hobbies have long been said to stave off cognitive decline. But while some research has shown that intensive brain-training programmes done over several weeks can reduce cognitive impairment, such interventions aren’t very practical in daily life. So my team and I decided to explore whether doing brief brain-stimulating […]
North Sea, Nature Untamed puts personal wonder back into nature documentaries
A new film exploring the vibrant marine life of the North Sea marks veteran underwater cinematographer Peter van Rodijnen’s first foray into producing and narrating. Above all, it is a cameraman’s film. Packed with beautiful, hard-to-capture footage, it showcases two decades of refined craft. North Sea, Nature Untamed opens with elegiac credits featuring magnified shots […]
The Traitors: the psychology works differently for celebrity players like Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan
Twenty-two people enter a castle with the intention of lying, trusting, murdering and banishing each other. The format of the Traitors is now well established, but the celebrity version of the show highlights some interesting psychological biases. In the standard version of the show (secret relationships aside) the contestants are all strangers. With no previous […]
As Baltic states face Russian hybrid aggression, our research shows what Europe can do
EU defence ministers assembled in Brussels on September 28 to try to formulate a response to increasing Russian aggression in Europe. The talks focused on Russia’s strategy of hybrid warfare – that is, hostile acts that fall below the threshold of actual war. These tend to include sabotage, disinformation, airspace violations, political interference and cyberwarfare. […]
Serbia’s president has resigned – but intends to remain in control
Aleksandar Vučić resigned as Serbia’s president on September 27, announcing that he intends to head his party’s list in upcoming parliamentary elections instead. If his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) succeeds in these elections, which are scheduled for October 25, Vučić would become Serbia’s next prime minister. Vučić has been the most dominant political figure in […]
How the new Great British Grid could help households benefit from abundant and cheap renewable power
Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s proposal to create a new Great British Grid has put a spotlight on one of the UK’s biggest energy challenges: connection queues. But building a larger grid to accommodate renewable energy is only half the problem. Britain also needs to get better at using electricity when it is abundant and cheap. […]