The Best of Aeon+Psyche
20+ most popular Aeon+Psyche articles, as voted by our community.
Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. Psyche is our sister magazine focused on the human condition. Visit http://aeon.co and http://psyche.co for more.
Paywall possible
Trending
These are currently making the rounds on Refind.
To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut
A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical
Korean philosophy is built upon daily practice of good habits
Practice is at the heart of Korean philosophy. In order to lead a good life, hone your daily rituals of self-cultivation
«As social beings, we penetrate the consciousness of others, and so humans are linked externally through conduct but also internally through thought.»
Beauty is not an ornament to the good life, it is at its heart
Why does the hand want to draw what the eye sees as beautiful? Why do we respond to beauty by creating the beautiful?
Can’t agree what wisdom means? All the more reason to seek it
There are no transcendent insights that rise above human difference. Yet wisdom exists if we look in the right places
On nonconformism, or why we need to be seen and not herded
It is enormously empowering – even intoxicating – to lose yourself to a crowd. That is why we need contrarians
Aeon+Psyche on Anger
There’s no emotion we ought to think harder about than anger
Anger is the emotion that has come to saturate our politics and culture. Philosophy can help us out of this dark vortex
Anger Is Temporary Madness: The Stoics Knew How to Curb It
Anger is a complicated emotion, but one you can learn to control. Here’s how.
Aeon+Psyche on Anxiety
Many people not only survive mental illness
For people with depression, anxiety and other conditions, reaching high wellbeing – not just recovery – is a real possibility
«enhanced focus on wellbeing will spark a broader conversation that encourages providers to better align patient care with patient goals»
How to tell whether you’re being careful or giving in to anxiety
It’s not always easy to tell what’s a sensible safeguard, and what’s an anxiety-fuelling habit. A few questions can help
«bring a stick to hit shrubs along the path. Does the behaviour allow for engagement in valued activities?»
Aeon+Psyche on Brain
Your brain does not process information and it is not a computer
Your brain does not process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories. In short: your brain is not a computer
How to maintain a healthy brain
Adopt these lifestyle changes and you will not only sharpen your mind today but also reduce your risk of dementia later on
«Train your body Just as mental health and brain health are deeply entwined, so too are your overall physical health and your brain health»
Aeon+Psyche on Consciousness
Does consciousness come from the brain’s electromagnetic field?
Instead of a code encrypted in the wiring of our neurons, could consciousness reside in the brain’s electromagnetic field?
«Our non-conscious mind appears to be a parallel processor, whereas our conscious mind is a serial processor that can operate only one task at a time.»
To say what consciousness is, science explores where it isn’t
Can electrical impulses in the brain explain the stuff that dreams are made on? What a new consciousness-detector reveals
Aeon+Psyche on Linguistics
Lost perspective? Try this linguistic trick to reset your view
By using ‘distanced self-talk’, you can leverage the structure of language to take a step back and see the bigger picture
«Through adopting this more distanced self-perspective, Aurelius was able to recognise that his feelings of anguish were temporary»
If language began in the hands, why did it ever leave?
If language began with gestures around a campfire and secret signals on hunts, why did speech come to dominate communication?
Aeon+Psyche on Philosophy
Philosophy is like athletics – theory must be put into practice
The Stoics approached self-improvement as an athlete approaches sport: the key is to keep practising in the face of failure
«When we do not act upon what we think is right, we are acting like an athlete who trains but never competes. What is the point?»
Our innate ideas prevent us seeing what is innate in human nature
We have a great deal of trouble telling what is innate and what is learned in human nature, whether ideas or emotions
Aeon+Psyche on Psychoanalysis
The truth about tarot
Whether divining ancient wisdoms or elevating the art of cold reading, tarot is a form of therapy, much like psychoanalysis
Why we love tyrants
Psychoanalysis explains how authoritarians energise the hatred, self-pity and delusion while promising heaven on Earth
Aeon+Psyche on Psychology
Why the pull of addictive cravings is so hard to resist
The neuroscientific picture of addiction overlooks the psychological and social factors that make cravings so hard to resist
Dreams are a precious resource. Don’t let advertisers hack them
Dream-hacking techniques can help us create, heal and have fun. They could also become tools of commercial manipulation
«Since sleep loss is known to increase risk-taking behaviour, one might expect to be hit with targeted ads for online gambling.»
Aeon+Psyche on Relationships
Why some of the smartest people can be so very stupid
Struggling to understand is perfectly honourable. Being wilfully stupid is something else and we should strive to fix it
«What exactly is stupidity? How does it relate to morality: can you be morally good and stupid, for example?»
The virtue of honesty requires more than just telling the truth
Honesty has fallen out of fashion, yet it is essential to self-improvement. How can we cultivate this neglected virtue?
«honest behaviour is a matter of not intentionally distorting the facts as the honest person sees them.»
Aeon+Psyche on Self Help
How to be kinder to yourself
Self-compassion techniques aren’t self-indulgent – they’ll tame your inner critic while helping you change for the better
«So I dedicated 10 minutes to sit down and reflect on the same questions I ask my clients to help them clarify their values. These were my answers:»
Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not self-indulgent to practise self-compassion. In fact, it helps you to care for others
Popular
These are some all-time favorites with Refind users.
How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
«These are people whose desires are in some sense intertwined with your own – they can affect your desires, and you can in turn affect theirs»
How to think clearly
By learning to question and clarify your thoughts, you’ll improve your self-knowledge and become a better communicator
«So far as possible, you should try to extract the maximum truthful and reasonable content from what others say, especially if they disagree with you»
How to gain more from your reading
There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading
«From reading deeply, you gain experience as well as knowledge: you gain from reading literary works in all their unique particularity.»
How to rest well
Taking a break isn’t lazy – learning to recharge is a skill that will allow you to enjoy a more creative, sustainable life
«To Aristotle, work was drudgery and necessity; only in leisure could we cultivate our mental and moral abilities, and become better people.»
How to be useless
Follow the Daoist way – reclaim your life and happiness by letting go of the need to produce, strive or serve a purpose
«You are not a mere tool in the building of a larger project, or a vessel in a grand ritual; you are a glorious part of the greater Universe,»
What is Refind?
Every day Refind picks 5 links from around the web that make you smarter, tailored to your interests. is one of more than 10k sources we monitor.
How does Refind curate?
It’s a mix of human and algorithmic curation, following a number of steps:
- We monitor 10k+ sources and 1k+ thought leaders on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
- In addition, our users save links from around the web using our Save buttons and our extensions.
- Our algorithm processes 100k+ new links every day and uses external signals to find the most relevant ones, focusing on timeless pieces.
- Our community of active users gets 5 links every day, tailored to their interests. They provide feedback via implicit and explicit signals: open, read, listen, share, add to reading list, save to «Made me smarter», «More/less like this», etc.
- Our algorithm uses these internal signals to refine the selection.
- In addition, we have expert curators who manually curate niche topics.
The result: lists of the best and most useful articles on hundreds of topics.
How does Refind detect «timeless» pieces?
We focus on pieces with long shelf-lives—not news. We determine «timelessness» via a number of metrics, for example, the consumption pattern of links over time.
How many sources does Refind monitor?
We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Can I submit a link?
Indirectly, by using Refind and saving links from outside (e.g., via our extensions).
How can I report a problem?
When you’re logged-in, you can flag any link via the «More» (...) menu. You can also report problems via email to hello@refind.com
Who uses Refind?
100k+ smart people start their day with Refind. To learn something new. To get inspired. To move forward. Our apps have a 4.9/5 rating.
Is Refind free?
Yes, it’s free!
How can I sign up?
Head over to our homepage and sign up by email or with your Twitter or Google account.