The rise of online misogyny is a huge talking point – but how much is it really influencing boys? And what can schools do to protect pupils from this toxic messaging? @davidarobson.bsky.social looks at what the research tells us

Do you have a strong feeling that your self - the essence of you - lies somewhere behind your eyes? Or deep in your chest? My latest column for @newscientist.com explores how this simple question can have profound consequences for our decision making www.newscientist.com/article/2526...

Been duped? Tempted to adopt a more cynical attitude to avoid being taken for a fool again? Don’t. Research suggests it won’t make you any better at spotting bullshit merchants, but will turn you bitter, writes @davidarobson.bsky.social : buff.ly/PhtrGGu

Singing dogs hint at the origins of human musicality www.newscientist.com/article/2518...

TY @newscientist.com & @davidarobson.bsky.social for recommending SINGLE AT HEART: “Society has put enormous pressure on us to couple up, but, as social psychologist DePaolo shows... www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

My second piece on love this week explores the thrilling feeling of “self-expansion” in the first flush of romance - and how to keep that excitement alive www.newscientist.com/article/2515...

It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, so I’ve been writing a lot about love. First is a review of Bonded by Evolution by @pauleastwick.bsky.social for @newscientist.com, an enlightening new book that dismantles lots of the lazy cliches about dating www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...

Super chuffed to have interviewed one of my literary heroes, George Saunders, about his new book Vigil, which has been dividing critics. It's a step out of my comfort zone to write about culture but I always enjoy it. www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...

Super chuffed to have interviewed one of my literary heroes, George Saunders, about his new book Vigil, which has been dividing critics. It's a step out of my comfort zone to write about culture but I always enjoy it. www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...

Has anyone else noticed that even their most politically disinterested friends/family/acquaintances are horrified by what’s been happening of late? Decency and morality still count for something, and most people are not as cynical and nihilistic as our authoritarian overlords would have us believe?

I have a new piece in @nytimes.com on men's sexual health and the stigma surrounding it. Very pleased to write about this important topic - I was surprised to learn just how much our lifestyle can affect fertility www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/w...

Can AI diagnose mental illness as well as humans? My new piece for @newscientist.com explores the promise and risk of “digital biomarkers” www.newscientist.com/article/2509...

"No pain, no gain" might sound inspirational, but it's a poor means of making positive changes in our lives. My new piece in @theguardian.com draws on self-determination theory to explain why pleasure is the secret to successful self-improvement: www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

Next up, seek out the profound emotion of social connection. Whether it's watching a cute video or being moved to tears by live music, @davidarobson.bsky.social has investigated how to get more kama muta into your life, and why you should want to: www.newscientist.com/article/2507...

This bilingual podcast is the first time I've given an interview in Spanish about my work! The perfectionist in me hates hearing my mistakes and hesitation, but the truth is that two years ago, I could only manage tourist transactions, so this seems like a milestone. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pPd...

I loved writing this piece on “micropractices” - very brief acts of contemplation that can enhance our emotional wellbeing.

An underappreciated reason why we fail to say no to a bad suggestion is ‘insinuation anxiety’—fear that so would be interpreted as insinuating something offensive about the other person, writes @davidarobson.bsky.social: buff.ly/eZCOfEh

“Living itself means nothing other than being questioned; our whole act of being is nothing more than responding to — of being responsible toward — life. With this mental standpoint nothing can scare us anymore, no future, no apparent lack of a future.”

Got purpose? Live longer! @davidarobson.bsky.social finds sound evidence for the claim that purpose is more important than overall life satisfaction in predicting people’s physical health and longevity: buff.ly/8llzpLm

Leonardo was quite the genius inventor. But he also documented his speculative invention “Method of Awakening the Mind to a Variety of Inventions” which led him to meaningful patterns in the random chaos of the world around him, writes @davidarobson.bsky.social: buff.ly/blzt6Ml

Don’t care what the critics are saying, I unashamedly love The Life of A Showgirl, especially the clever play on Father Figure

The Big 4-0! 🤯

Writing this peace for @newscientist.com about the psychology of narcissism helped me to clarify a painful family dynamic www.newscientist.com/article/2496...

Writing this peace for @newscientist.com about the psychology of narcissism helped me to clarify a painful family dynamic www.newscientist.com/article/2496...

Thanks to the end-of-history illusion, we feel that we’re permanently on the cusp of understanding life - yet those epiphanies are little more than mirages of self-understanding + a shortcut to close bonds open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

Excited about this!

📱 Is Jonathan Haidt right about smartphones and screens? @jonsevers.bsky.social speaks to the Anxious Generation author – and his critics – in this in-depth investigation into one of today's major education debates. Read the full article here ⬇️

“While submission is transactional and involves a loss of control, when two people surrender to each other, they feel alive, empowered, accepted. They feel love.” I hugely enjoyed Love’s Labour by psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz. It’s full of wisdom on the nuances and contradictions of romance.

Excited to have next week's cover feature for @newscientist.com about a big new theory in neuroscience, which claims that the brain lies on the boundary between order and disorder (1/5) www.newscientist.com/article/2493...

My latest post examines the fact that employers exploit their most loyal workers, and the reasons that we find it hard to say no to bad ideas open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

Why do we say yes to the bad ideas? One reason is “insinuation anxiety” - our fear of demonstrating our distrust of the other person. It’s the subject of my latest newsletter. davidarobson.substack.com/p/insinuatio...

Not sure why this is only framed around the rich - it might surprise you, but I hear that poor people also experience temperature

Readers are less likely to die early than non-readers, and book readers the least likely. @davidarobson.bsky.social digs into an extraordinary claim and finds the evidence supports it: deep reading does seem to confer longevity benefits: open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

Over the past year I’ve noticed more and more that reading is essential for my mental health. Now there’s evidence it can boost our longevity too. davidarobson.substack.com/p/how-readin...

Over the past year I’ve noticed more and more that reading is essential for my mental health. Now there’s evidence it can boost our longevity too. davidarobson.substack.com/p/how-readin...

This is useful from @davidarobson.bsky.social (whom I was happy to meet IRL last night!)... I am on a real mission atm to remove hasslers from my life – so much of my discontent comes from people who pester and hassle me, usually unnecessarily, and I'm not surprised there is physiological impact.

Huge congratulations to Melissa Hogenboom for this gem! Breadwinners examines the fascinating psychology of power dynamics at work and in the home - it’s a must-read for anyone who wants to live in a fairer world. Happy publication day!

Climate journalist and New Scientist contributor Alec Luhn has gone missing on a Norwegian glacier. His family is asking that anyone hiking in the region share any information with local authorities. www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Enjoyed chatting to Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand’s Sunday Morning Show about the ways our social circle influence our biological ageing www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

“The same person who comforts you today might criticise you tomorrow, creating more physiological damage than relationships you can simply categorise as bad and potentially avoid.” A Q&A with sociologist BK Lee on the reasons “hasslers” accelerate ageing open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

Do you have a “hassler” in your social circle? They are the people who bring unnecessary drama - and recent research suggests that the subsequent stress can accelerate our biological ageing. I’ve just published a Q&A with the scientist behind the study davidarobson.substack.com/p/why-the-ha...

Does caring help us handle stress better? @davidarobson.bsky.social shares a personal anecdote and scientific research that supports the hypothesis that we evolved to care—not just for others’ benefit but for our own: buff.ly/lptImS0

My dad suffered a heart attack recently, and here's a short essay about what I've learnt from caring for him during his recovery: open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

My dad suffered a heart attack recently, and here's a short essay about what I've learnt from caring for him during his recovery: open.substack.com/pub/davidaro...

“Labels like ‘dark empath’ may sound sexy, but their actions are just as ugly as your garden-variety bully’s” My new column for @newscientist.com

#FridayReads The Laws of Connection by @davidarobson.bsky.social. The psychology of building better social relationships, based on academic research and presented lucidly by a science journalist.

We assume other people will understand what we say. But not only is that often ambiguous, they also interpret it from their perspective. @davidarobson.bsky.social explains why the illusion of understanding trips us up and why we’d better assume we’ll be misunderstood: buff.ly/jDQAZUf

The illusion of understanding - why the way we communicate matters: observer.co.uk/news/science... My latest piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social examines the many cognitive biases that prevent us from saying what we mean, and how to prevent them.

The illusion of understanding - why the way we communicate matters: observer.co.uk/news/science... My latest piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social examines the many cognitive biases that prevent us from saying what we mean, and how to prevent them.