Andra Botean

Imagine a perfect world. You don’t need to work for food. There are no predators. You have shelter, safety, and access to all the resources you need. Sounds like paradise, right? But what happens when everything is too perfect? In the 1970s, a scientist named John B. Calhoun created a radical social experiment that became one of … Read more

Friendship, at its core, is meant to be a space of safety, support, and mutual acceptance. But not all relationships unfold in this ideal harmony. Sometimes, instead of feeling relaxed and understood in a friend’s presence, a subtle tension arises — a constant comparison, a sense that we always have to prove something, a restlessness … Read more

Climbing Swiss mountains, chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland, practicing yoga high in the mountains, or even spending a weekend in the trees… Adventure dreams can become reality thanks to Explora Project. Since July 2018, a team of explorer guides committed to the environment has been offering adventure trips in France and other European countries. … Read more

A: I force myself to smile.B: I try to chase away the clouds by thinking of pleasant things.C: I don’t smile all day. American research has shown that the B response provides the most benefits. This technique is called “deep acting”: by portraying a pleasant weekend, you try to experience positive emotions. Actors also do … Read more

Humans are the only species to cry with tears, and a new Spanish study focused on their function. Researchers asked 30 women to look at photos of crying people, then at the same faces with the tears digitally removed. The participants’ gaze was tracked using eye-tracking technology. The result: Women appeared to look more often … Read more

Since 2020, Instagram has been experimenting with hiding likes in an attempt to reduce the competition generated by comparing their numbers. This isn’t a bad idea, according to research conducted in Ireland and Spain: test subjects reported that receiving fewer likes than expected triggered negative feelings, such as nervousness, fear, and loneliness. Surprisingly, however, a … Read more

We remember sung melodies better than those played on an instrument. Even when someone simply sings “la la la,” the melody is better remembered. According to studies conducted by Canadian researchers, we remember sung melodies better because, from an evolutionary perspective, we are more receptive to voices than to other sounds.

Inner forces Psychologists describe resilience as the ability to cope with personal crises and recover relatively quickly. We are more or less born with this skill, researchers assume, but we can also learn and improve in this area. According to Rick Hnason, we can improve our resilience by strengthening certain inner strengths. These include: It … Read more