‘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

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?

Brian Thompson’s death has elicited little sympathy. I don’t need to spell out why

UnitedHealthcare is egregious among US insurers for charging enormous premiums, then denying care

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

Lately I’ve become less engaged with the world. How do I find something to be interested in?

The world is a big thing to get interested in, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. What if you start with the little things instead?

Buying up baby: five products to avoid and two that are worth the money

Newborns are big business, with a bamboozling array of products to cater to them. Here five families with young children share their shopping regrets – and the items that actually helped

The ChatGPT secret: is that text message from your friend, your lover – or a robot?

People are turning to chatbots to solve all their life problems, and they like its answers. But are they on a very slippery slope?

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health