How to deal with disappointment – by an expert in this misunderstood emotion

LightField Studios/Shutterstock When disappointment strikes, is your instinct to try to shake it off, forget about it and move on? My research and experience of many workplaces suggests this might be exactly the wrong response. My interest in the science of disappointment began more than 15 years ago as a workplace consultant. I was struck […]

What it’s like to travel with a weak passport: ‘There’s no dignity’

OlegD/Shutterstock International tourism sells the promise of a borderless world: open skies, new horizons, the freedom to explore. But for the holder of a weak passport, that promise rings hollow. The Henley Passport Index (HPI) ranks the world’s passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free. This may be affected by factors […]

Which of your climate actions make the biggest difference? Here’s how to find out

Abdullah Al Islam/Shutterstock Go vegan, ditch the car, avoid air travel. Or forget all that – because it’s corporations and governments that are really to blame. This argument can feel quite paralysing but what if this is the wrong debate to be having? Our research shows that the most effective approach to climate action is […]

Are we getting tired of superheroes? The evidence might surprise you

Superheroes are having a bumpy ride. Marvel, which gave the world Spider-Man and Captain America, is reeling from a string of disappointing film releases such as 2023’s The Marvels and 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This has forced owners Disney to completely rethink their Marvel strategy just before the new Spider-Man and Avengers films […]

Is the tenure of a leader becoming ‘nasty, brutish and short’?

When Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham announced that they intend to challenge Keir Starmer as prime minister, it felt like the start of a depressingly familiar loop. A leader who had made many great-sounding promises failed to deliver and lost the trust of the public. The public demands he quit, and he may soon be […]

Art in exile on show at London’s Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale

With Iran’s official cultural presence on the international stage increasingly uncertain, the 6th Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale in London, With My Roots, carries significance that extends well beyond the gallery walls. Held at Mall Galleries from May 22–30, it brings together more than 100 Iranian artists from 17 countries, with over 180 works spanning painting, […]