Feel the pain – but is it real or are you faking it?

It’s harder to fake a sickie if the doctor’s a machine

A computer system has been developed that can tell whether facial expressions of pain are real or fake – with possible implications for those of us who fake the occasional “sickie”. A study, published…
People who intentionally harm themselves aren’t always easy to identify or categorise. Noctem_/Flickr

Explainer: what is self‑harm and why do people do it?

Deliberately inflicting pain or injury by cutting oneself or some other form of self-mutilation seems incomprehensible to many people. But it’s a common, typically secretive, experience for about 8% of…
A new Australian study has found China’s “little emperors” are less trusting and more pessimistic than those born before the one-child policy was implemented. Harald Groven

China’s one‑child policy builds a generation of risk avoiders: study

China’s one-child policy has built a generation of sensitive, less trusting and more risk-averse adults, according to a new Australian study. The study from researchers at Monash University, the University…
Nothing sucks like breaking a promise to yourself. faberzeus

The morning after: is New Year the best time for resolutions?

For many of us, the start of a new year heralds a new beginning, and an important opportunity to commit to significant personal changes. But why does this single moment in the year hold almost superstitious…

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