Jen Sincero says she can make you a badass – has it worked for her millions of readers?

The self-help guru’s book You Are a Badass is a bestseller in the US and making waves in the UK. But can her brand of straight-talking positive thinking really help you escape your ‘sucky life’?

Michael Pollan: ‘I was a very reluctant psychonaut’

The bestselling author and activist has been exploring the use of psychedelic drugs in medical research for his book How to Change Your Mind. And yes, he had to try them for himself

All by myself: the joys of being single

Christina Patterson used to be ashamed about being single, but after hearing others’ stories, that feeling has gone

Dean Burnett: ‘Happiness shouldn’t be the default state in the human brain’

The neuroscientist and author of The Idiot Brain on the difficulty of trying to explain happiness and what he learned from Charlotte Church

Loneliness can’t be ‘cured’. We must learn to find value in solitude

Instead of medicalising loneliness and calling it an epidemic, we need to find better ways of engaging with ourselves, writes sociologist and author Frank Furedi

After a miscarriage and divorce, my friends showed me true love

When author Elizabeth Day lost a baby and her marriage ended it was her friends who gave her the unconditional love she’d been seeking

Could a day at Stansted cure my fear of flying – or will I always need Valium and a fizzy wine chaser?

For too many years Suzanne Moore has not been able to board a flight without a stiff drink and, preferably, tranquillisers. Could a ‘Fearless Flyer’ course at Stansted help her overcome her terror?

How to rewrite your own life story

Jessica Huie turned her life around brilliantly. Now she’s helping other people to do the same

Say ‘No’ and change your life

We live in a world where ‘yes’ is the default. But we need to tame our inner ‘chimp’ and embrace the power of ‘no’, says William Leith

Meet the tech evangelist who now fears for our mental health

Belinda Parmar was a passionate advocate of the digital revolution – but has started keeping her family’s smartphones and laptops locked away to protect her loved ones. Is she right to be so worried?