Mind, Body & Life

Why Pope Benedict is growing on me

Laurie Taylor on celebrity resemblances.

Book review: A Life Lived Remotely

Siobhan McKeown's book is an honest account of the niggling issues and existential angst that often undercut the pleasures of “freedom” from the office.

What goes around: the persistent symbolism of the ring

Rings have been a symbol of love – and dominance – for centuries. A new book explores their nuanced meanings and histories.

“We are in the middle of the fight”: the globalisation of LGBT rights

Q&A with Frédéric Martel, author of "Global Gay: How Gay Culture is Changing the World"

Is riding a motorbike the path to fulfilment?

If motorcycles are chaotic and potentially deadly, then can learning to master them be a journey to inner serenity?

More time for living, less for living longer

Barbara Ehrenreich asks if our obsession with “wellness” and keeping fit is really all that healthy.

Written any good books recently?

Laurie Taylor on the struggles of literary aspiration.

The wilderness in us: how human identity is formed by landscape

We have always been shaped by the natural landscape, just as it has been shaped by our history.

Like cats and dogs: why humans keep pets

Domesticated animals have been part of human society for tens of thousands of years. But can we really call it friendship?

An eye for changing times

The return of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy marks a revival of “nice” reality TV, after a decade of screaming matches and controversy