Psychology

48 questions

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does a pay rise only make you happy for about three months?

The effect of higher income on day-to-day happiness fades remarkably fast. The reasons why tell you something important about what money is and is not actually good for.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do some friendships survive years of silence and others do not survive a week?

Some friendships require constant maintenance. Others pick up exactly where they left off after a decade. The difference is not how much you like each other.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does work always expand to fill the time available?

Parkinson's Law has been a joke for seventy years. It is also a serious observation about how humans work, and why deadlines work differently from how we think they do.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why is it so much easier to spend money on a card than with cash?

The payment method changes the experience of paying. And the experience of paying directly affects how much you spend and how much you value what you buy.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why is spicy food painful — and why do people love it anyway?

Spicy food genuinely activates your pain receptors. The reason people enjoy it anyway is a small masterpiece of human psychology.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does expensive wine taste better — even when it is the same wine?

The brain does not just evaluate what you drink. It evaluates what you expect to taste. And expectations, it turns out, directly alter the experience.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we knock on wood?

You say something optimistic and immediately feel the need to touch a wooden surface. You almost certainly do not believe in what you are doing. You do it anyway. This is not as irrational as it seems.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do songs get stuck in your head — and how do you get them out?

Earworms are not random. There is a specific profile of song that gets stuck, a reason your brain keeps playing it, and a surprisingly effective way to stop it.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does time feel like it speeds up as you get older?

It is not your imagination, and there are at least three decent explanations. Only one of them offers a way out.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we get déjà vu — and what is actually happening in the brain?

Déjà vu is not a memory of a past life or evidence of a glitch in reality. It is a very specific misfiring of the systems your brain uses to evaluate whether something is familiar.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does rain sound so much better when you don't have to go out in it?

The same rain. Completely different experience. The difference is a wall and a hot drink.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we find it so hard to think about risk properly?

We are significantly more afraid of flying than driving, significantly less afraid of sugar than heroin, and significantly wrong about almost all of it.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do people stay in bad situations long after they know they're bad?

The question people ask from the outside is "why don't they just leave?" That question misunderstands the inside view significantly.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we save nice things for a special occasion that never quite arrives?

The good wine is in the rack. The good china is in the cupboard. You are using the second-best version of your own life.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why is it almost impossible to ignore a "wet paint" sign?

The sign is there to warn you. It is doing the opposite. This is not a coincidence.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do gym memberships peak in January and vanish by February?

Every year, the same thing happens. The gyms fill up, then empty. The people who were there in December are back. The people who joined in January are not.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we find comfort in repetition?

The same film watched for the tenth time. The same walk every morning. The same meal on the same day. Humans seek novelty and then immediately build rituals around it. Both instincts are doing something useful.

Psychology5 May 2026

What does loneliness at epidemic scale tell us about modern life?

Loneliness is being called an epidemic, and the people calling it that are not being dramatic. What they are less clear on is what it means and what to do about it.

Psychology5 May 2026

Is nostalgia making us stupid?

The past keeps winning elections it isn't running in. That might be a problem.

Psychology5 May 2026

Are most people's moral convictions just aesthetic preferences in disguise?

A strong gut reaction dressed in philosophical language is still a gut reaction.

Psychology5 May 2026

How much of what we call personality is actually stable, and how much is just context?

You are not quite the same person in every room. The question is whether that means personality is an illusion — or something more interesting.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why is it so much easier to give advice than to take it?

Everyone knows what everyone else should do. Applying the same clarity to their own situation is surprisingly rare.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does almost everyone think they're a better-than-average driver?

Statistically, most people who believe they are above-average drivers are wrong. They still believe it.

Psychology5 May 2026

Is the midlife crisis a myth invented by people who've never had one?

The midlife crisis entered popular culture in the 1970s as a secular rite of passage. Research on it is surprisingly thin. What exists suggests the crisis is real — but it doesn't work the way the cliché suggests.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we talk to our pets as if they understand every word?

You are a grown adult narrating your plans to a cat. This is not a sign of madness. It might actually be a sign of intelligence.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we find it easier to be kind to strangers than to the people we live with?

We perform better, communicate more carefully, and lose our tempers far less often with people we barely know. The people who get the best of us are usually people we've never met.

Psychology5 May 2026

Does knowing your weaknesses actually help?

Self-awareness is widely praised and rarely examined. The research is less flattering than the self-help industry would like.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we always skip the step in the instructions that causes all the problems?

The step is right there. It is not ambiguous. You skipped it. It went badly. This will happen again.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do people who are wrong tend to be more confident than people who are right?

The Dunning-Kruger effect has been somewhat misrepresented. The underlying problem is real and worth understanding.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why is it so hard to throw things away even when we know we should?

The box has been in the spare room for three years. You have not opened it. You know what is in it. You are not throwing it away.

Psychology5 May 2026

Is boredom actually good for you?

Modern life is structured around the elimination of boredom. Smartphones exist largely to prevent you from having to sit with an empty moment. The research suggests this might be one of the worst things we've done to ourselves.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we say sorry to chairs we bump into?

The chair did not hear you. The chair does not care. You apologised anyway. Here is why.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we only think of the perfect comeback three hours after the argument?

The French have a phrase for it. The English just fume in silence. The psychology is the same.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does a hotel bed always feel better than your own?

Same thread count. Different experience. The bed has not changed. You have.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we commentate on our own lives as if someone is watching?

You are alone in the kitchen. You drop something. You say "and there it goes." There is no one there. This is worth examining.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does food always taste better on holiday?

You are eating the same things. The ingredients are not superior. The bread is different, but not that different.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why do we buy books we know we'll never read?

The Japanese call it tsundoku. The rest of us call it a bookshelf. The real question is whether it matters.

Psychology5 May 2026

Why does someone else's food always look better than yours?

You ordered what you wanted. Two minutes later, you want what they ordered. This is not random.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Why does Sunday evening feel different from every other evening?

Sunday night dread is nearly universal. It appears in people who love their jobs, people who hate them, retirees, and children on summer holidays. Which suggests the problem isn't the job.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Why does rejection hurt — literally, physically — and what does that tell us about how we're wired?

It isn't a metaphor. The same brain regions that process physical pain process social rejection.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Is willpower a myth?

The science on this has shifted considerably in the last decade. The news is mixed.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Why do we cry at things we know aren't real?

You know the character isn't real. You know the actor is fine. You cried anyway. The question isn't why we have this response — it's what it tells us about the relationship between knowledge and emotion.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Did you know that loneliness is more damaging to your health than smoking?

The science on social isolation is as clear as the science on cigarettes was in the 1970s. We just haven't reacted to it the same way. That tells you something about how we think about ourselves.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Why do humans consistently overestimate dramatic risks and underestimate slow ones?

We are brilliant at fearing the wrong things and ignoring the right ones. This is not stupidity — it is a very old piece of software running in a world it was not designed for.

Psychology23 Apr 2026

Does self-awareness actually help you fix your flaws, or just make you more articulate about them?

Research has a diplomatically worded but clear answer: mostly the second one.

Why does a pay rise only make you happy for about three months?

Why does saying sorry feel so hard — even when you know you are wrong?

Why do we keep falling for people who are wrong for us?

Why do we find some animals cute and others frightening?

Why do some friendships survive years of silence and others do not survive a week?

Why does work always expand to fill the time available?

Why is it so much easier to spend money on a card than with cash?

Why is spicy food painful — and why do people love it anyway?

Why does expensive wine taste better — even when it is the same wine?

Why do we knock on wood?

Why do songs get stuck in your head — and how do you get them out?

Why does time feel like it speeds up as you get older?

Why do we get déjà vu — and what is actually happening in the brain?

Why does rain sound so much better when you don't have to go out in it?

Why do we find it so hard to think about risk properly?

Why do people stay in bad situations long after they know they're bad?

Why do we save nice things for a special occasion that never quite arrives?

Why is it almost impossible to ignore a "wet paint" sign?

Why do gym memberships peak in January and vanish by February?

Why do we find comfort in repetition?

What does loneliness at epidemic scale tell us about modern life?

Is nostalgia making us stupid?

Are most people's moral convictions just aesthetic preferences in disguise?

How much of what we call personality is actually stable, and how much is just context?

Why is it so much easier to give advice than to take it?

Why does almost everyone think they're a better-than-average driver?

Is the midlife crisis a myth invented by people who've never had one?

Why do we talk to our pets as if they understand every word?

Why do we find it easier to be kind to strangers than to the people we live with?

Does knowing your weaknesses actually help?

Why do we always skip the step in the instructions that causes all the problems?

Why do people who are wrong tend to be more confident than people who are right?

Why is it so hard to throw things away even when we know we should?

Is boredom actually good for you?

Why do we say sorry to chairs we bump into?

Why do we only think of the perfect comeback three hours after the argument?

Why does a hotel bed always feel better than your own?

Why do we commentate on our own lives as if someone is watching?

Why does food always taste better on holiday?

Why do we buy books we know we'll never read?

Why does someone else's food always look better than yours?

Why does Sunday evening feel different from every other evening?

Why does rejection hurt — literally, physically — and what does that tell us about how we're wired?

Is willpower a myth?

Why do we cry at things we know aren't real?

Did you know that loneliness is more damaging to your health than smoking?

Why do humans consistently overestimate dramatic risks and underestimate slow ones?

Does self-awareness actually help you fix your flaws, or just make you more articulate about them?