Culture & Religion

Why do some survive a breakup without deep distress, even if sad or worried about money? Research shows one thing—having self-compassion—uniquely predicts good outcomes.

Big businesses are (once again) learning the lesson that bigger doesn’t always mean better. When aggressive mergers put a company in financial trouble, arrogance may be the motive.

The Nantucket Project, a festival of ideas held this month on Nantucket, Massachusetts, was an event filled with big names. And yet, one of the most memorable performances came from an up-and-coming poet few had heard of.

 Unfortunately, Facebook’s rules against certain kinds of material, specifically nudes, threaten to censor artists who depict the human body

It used to be that if rock artists wished to maintain credibility with their fans, they would not agree to have their music re-purposed for commercials. Boy, how things have changed.

How do artists get paid today? Josh Ritter came of age as the CD and the printed page were both dying mediums. And yet, he has excelled in both industries.

The fast fashion retail model has been taken to a new level by U.K.-based rock-bottom price retailer Primark. A case study of why ‘no bells, no whistles’ works for it.

Great for consumers, bad for authors? As Amazon prepares to launch its long-rumored Android-powered tablet, it is also reportedly thinking about an e-book rental service.

Digital fitness–the ability to adapt to changes in the digital environment—is lacking in the PR sector though it was an early adopter of social media. Time to rethink traditional PR tactics.

The attacks of 9/11 changed not only how we engage with the world but what we know about it. In the last ten years, psychology has advanced in its understanding of trauma and resiliency.  

What role does pleasing others play in your organization or life? The fewer people you try to please the more focused, creative, distinct you become and the more you’ll be ‘unpleasing’.

Does the world need new political players and is Qatar poised to be one? It has shown strong political leadership, willingness and influence in recent major events in its region.

The focus is now on the reconstruction and stabilization of Libya, how to encourage its transition from a virtual monarchy to a democracy. That will cost money. Who should fund it?  

“There is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast,” said Herman Melville. He meant that the lives we think we’d love, lacking contrast, would be miserable. 

It is 50 year after Stanley Milgram’s groundbreaking experiments on obedience to destructive orders—what have we learned from the most controversial research of our times?  

Though Helen Mirren has a reputation for being something of a libertine, she sees herself as a straight-laced, hard working actress from an immigrant family—a bit Jew and Gypsy, too.

At the year’s biggest annual television conference, Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was invited as the keynote speaker. He explained his vision for a hybrid TV-Internet industry of the future. 

Why does European news capture our world headlines while South America broils with protest and reform on the same landmass? Is it our assumed European heritage? 

Memory is not a filing cabinet nor a videotape but fragmentary, malleable, and untrustworthy. Hence the introduction of radical new eyewitness testimony rules.

Two prominent tobacco researchers have argued against adopting a “well-meaning” health policy that would see adult movie ratings in the U.S. for films with on-screen smoking.

One in six children fail to read books as they spend increasing amounts of time texting friends, sending emails and visiting social networking sites, a new study has found. 

Internet users are being tracked all the time and shaking off a virtual tail can be tough. The desire to track users continues to outstrip privacy features in browsers.

As leadership changes reshape the Middle East, science stands to benefit. New projects are moving forward thanks to interim leadership that wants to bring science back to the region. 

The head of Libya’s National Transitional Council (N.T.C.) has announced the end of the Gaddafi era, while sporadic fighting continued across the capital, Tripoli.

As the possibility of the first female President of the United States draws nearer, we are reminded that voting rights for women, and even more so for black women, are a relatively fresh victory.

A new study has discovered that differences between men and women can be found even among mental illnesses, with certain disorders being more common to specific genders.

It may be easier for men to to demonstrate authority associated with traditional leadership, but today’s world calls for collaboration and cooperation, skills which suit women better. 

Despite all the advice that author Bruce Feiler was given about ‘switching off’ and ‘unplugging’ during summer vacation, he found staying connected to the Web was a boon. 

From Scotland, Stuart Waiton claims that not only has there been a lack of policing and assertion of authority shown by police in the recent U.K. riots, that’s been the case for years. 

So you thought broadband changed everything, wait till you see what the streaming future of media holds for us, writes Mitch Joel, president of digital marketing agency Twist Image.