Cats can make you laugh, cry, lose sleep – and then break your heart

She reads to them, watches TV and sleeps with them. Britt Collins on her enduring passion for cats

What’s in my name: tales that cross continents and generations

Stories behind Sheela Banerjee’s name go from Aryan invaders via sacred black stones to 70s dinner ladies

Who rules the world? Narcissists. Let’s stop giving them all the breaks

So, research shows narcissists do life better. The meek among us must keep them in check, says humble Guardian columnist Stuart Heritage

I couldn’t bring myself to read my parents’ love letters for years

Before her mother died, she handed over a shopping bag of private and personal letters sent long ago between her and her father. But what would Sabine Durrant learn about the man who died shortly after she was born?

Inequality breeds stress and anxiety. No wonder so many Britons are suffering

In equal societies, citizens trust each other and contribute to their community. This goes into reverse in countries like ours, say Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, the authors of The Inner Level

Facial awareness: the meaning of a smile

What exactly is a smile for, how do we do it and if we lose it, can we get it back?

When is an exception not an exception?

If ‘just this once’ happens every month, there’s a name for it: a monthly expense

‘Surviving’ cancer is a weird ongoing journey of readjustment

Having been treated for head and neck cancer, Genevieve Fox looked for the yellow brick road back to her old, pre-cancer self, but the truth is it really isn’t like that

You’ve heard of mindfulness, now meet its dynamic young cousin sophrology

A modern blend of yoga, Zen Buddhism, hypnosis and psychology, it’s huge elsewhere in Europe and on its way to the UK