Wellbeing enhanced more by places than objects, study finds

Research using brain scans finds people experience feelings of contentment from places more than from objects such as photographs or wedding rings

How to embrace unexpected silences

A sudden absence of noise can be awkward and uncomfortable. But it also lets us take stock, says Amber Hatch

How to create life’s big moments

Chip and Dan Heath say don’t wait for life’s defining events to come along – make them happen now. Here’s how

Is your new phone really your friend?

Our hardwired tendency toward laziness means once we’ve been persuaded to adopt certain pseudo-conveniences, we won’t want to give them up

Feeling like an impostor? You can escape this confidence-sapping syndrome

Even the highest achievers, such as Albert Einstein and Maya Angelou, suffer from this corrosive form of low self-esteem. But there are coping strategies, says life coach Fiona Buckland

Is this really a post-truth world?

The truth used to be plain and simple. Just because it’s now complex doesn’t mean it’s false, argues Julian Baggini

Unhappy at work? How to spread cheer in the office

Over half of employees in the UK are not happy in their jobs. Here’s a guide for business owners who want to raise a smile from their staff

Want to be happier? First, work out if you’re an ‘upholder’ or a ‘rebel’

Happiness expert Gretchen Rubin says there are four basic personality types, and improving your life is all about working out whether you conform or rise up

Parents need a strength switch: to help them and their kids

Focusing on what children do well helps them to behave better – and you to parent well, says Lea Waters

Lack of sleep could contribute to mental health problems, researchers reveal

Study finds therapy designed to treat insomnia also reduced paranoia and hallucinations, and improved depression and anxiety in patients