The best form of self-help is … a healthy dose of unhappiness

We’re more likely to find solace by accepting reality rather than in positive thinking, says author Tim Lott

Ask your mum questions and you may discover… yourself

When Elma van Vliet decided to start asking her mother about her life, the results were remarkable

Good Reasons for Bad Feelings review – a new approach to mental disorder

Randolph Nesse’s insightful book suggests that conditions such as anxiety and depression have a clear evolutionary purpose

Nicci Gerrard: ‘Dementia is more scary when you try not to think about it’

The Observer journalist on her father’s dementia, caring for campaigners, and facing her fears in her new book

What will you be reading next year? London book fair’s star attractions

Salman Rushdie’s take on Don Quixote, Elton John’s memoirs and a study of criminals in Broadmoor – a selection of the biggest and most interesting books announced at the fair

Now self-help books are aimed at men – but they have rarely actually helped anyone

While people need to talk about anxiety and depression, these tomes turn social problems into competitive self-improvement

Stressed Brits buy record number of self-help books

Bookshop owners say political turmoil has sent customers in search of uplifting titles

Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night

We’re told that getting eight unbroken hours of sleep will protect us from cancer and dementia, and make us happier. But are we being sold an impossible dream?

Four Words for Friend by Marek Kohn review – why language matters more than ever

Is the British reluctance to learn languages partly to blame for Brexit? The case for multilingualism

Move over, mindfulness: it’s time for ‘finefulness’

After endless guides to self-help, a new wave of books spearheaded by The Little Book of Bad Moods is switching the focus to more realistic hopes