What’s it like when your job involves wading through others’ suffering? I was left weeping and hopeless

Psychologists call it ‘vicarious trauma’ – the result of witnessing too much misery, even if you’re not experiencing it first hand. And it can affect anyone, from war correspondents to legal professionals and interpreters

The big idea: your personality is not set in stone

Think you’re stuck being scatty, or an introvert? The latest research suggests otherwise

Forget regret! How to have a happy life – according to the world’s leading expert

For 84 years, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked the lives of hundreds of Americans. Now its director, Robert Waldinger, is explaining what it has taught him about health and fulfilment

I am ruining my own joy by overthinking awkward and inappropriate things

Any wee in this pool today?

A Year to Change Your Mind by Dr Lucy Maddox review – a way through

Twelve month’s worth of psychological tips from someone you’d want on your team in a crisis

The big idea: could you have made different choices in life?

We can’t change what’s happened – but we can learn to make better decisions in the future

Is America suffering a ‘social recession’?

Americans report having less sex, fewer friends and a loss of trust in each other and society. What’s going on?

How ‘love languages’ has been helping couples for 30 years

It’s a well-established therapeutic tool for allowing couples to make sense of each other, but now social media has given the idea of ‘love languages’ a real boost

How can you be the best possible parent, lover, friend, citizen or tourist? Here’s what the experts think

It’s not easy being a ‘good’ person – what can we learn from the people who have thought about it the most?

Growing up in a different culture doesn’t mean you can’t love Christmas too

Family traditions are what you make them says Yasmina Floyer, Christmas means honouring the people dearest to you