Readers reply: can you acquire courage?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions ponders how to overcome fear and do what is needed

‘You think: Do I really need anyone?’ – the hidden burden of being a hyper-independent person

Self-reliance is often encouraged over asking others for help in the modern world. But doing everything yourself can be a sign that you are scared of intimacy

My patient’s near-death experience in hospital left me with worry and guilt. This is how vicarious trauma starts

Afterwards, my team and I kept going without ever discussing the event. But something felt heavy. And because I couldn’t name it, I didn’t know how to deal with it

Is Australia getting ruder? How to be kinder to others in everyday life – and break the contagion of rage

Slow down, take a deep breath, maybe even let the other car take the park. In the face of rudeness, sometimes the most radical thing to do is remain passively polite.

Can you acquire courage?

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

Things reek, stink and pong – but why are there no verbs for describing a delightful odour?

We don’t have a single verb to express smelling something nice. Welsh and Croatian, by contrast, are never caught short when something fragrant gets right up your nose, writes Guardian columnist Adrian Chiles

Ultra-processed foods should be treated more like cigarettes than food – study

UPFs are made to encourage addiction and consumption and should be regulated like tobacco, say researchers

‘Adjustments must be made’: how to live well after mid-life

We are living longer and longer, but many of us are unprepared for the challenges age brings, says the novelist and psychotherapist Frank Tallis

Wise by Frank Tallis review – how to turn your midlife crisis into a hero’s journey

A psychologist’s gripping guide to surviving dark nights of the soul offers both comfort and insight

Rejection spreadsheets: would 1,000 knockbacks make you a better person?

Online, people are documenting their attempts to clock up as many ‘nos’ as they can this year. Is this actually the best possible route to more ‘yeses’ than you’re used to?