If you find everyone else boring you only have yourself to blame

Birdwatchers, church-goers and TV addicts are considered dull, according to new research. But this is stereotyping - let’s embrace the mundane

Bless you! Meet the flu hunters trying to stop the next pandemic in its tracks

Remember flu? Despite lockdowns holding it at bay, a small group of scientists is searching the globe for deadly new strains – and to work out what to put in next winter’s vaccines

My son’s passion for football has reawakened in me a deep sense of belonging

My nine-year-old’s curiosity about the place I grew up and where generations of my family were raised has made me look at it with new eyes, says Robert Yates

Watch Strictly, eat sauerkraut, win at Monopoly: expert tips for hacking your happy hormones

Can we really harness our brain chemicals to give ourselves a blast of positivity? Researchers share their shortcuts to boosting oxytocin, serotonin and more

Reasons to be cheerful: optimists live longer, says study

Those with a positive attitude to life may lower their anxiety levels by avoiding arguments or not perceiving traffic jams as stressful

How long could a person possibly live?

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