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What is your office doing to your head?

5 August 2015

Bryan BorzykowskiFeatures correspondent

Too open

Thinkstock Too open — Too open

Watch

Cognitive memory bias

How this common bias warps our decisions

Can we trust our memory? Erm, no. Max Tobin explains how the peak-end rule distorts how we remember our past.

How to tame your dark memories

How to rewire your brain and tame your dark memories

Dr Julia Shaw shares psychological tips and tricks in tackling and taming your worst memories.

The ancient trick that will help you take better decisions

The ancient trick that will help you make better decisions

Illeism is a tool that might clear your mind from indecision. How does it work?

Patty Hearst: From kidnapped girl to infamous criminal

How did Patty Hearst become a symbol of the violent radicalisation of youth in the 1970s?

Is this the true origin of Stockholm syndrome?

Is this the true origin of Stockholm syndrome?

How was Stockholm syndrome invented 50 years ago and why is it problematic?

Getty Images 84743203

Can you learn to predict the future?

Researchers believe the ability to predict the future is a skill that can be learned and developed.

How to have a really good argument

How to have a really good argument

Former politician Rory Stewart shares his top tips for having great arguments.

Getty Images 962255874

Are we all living in a hallucination?

Our brain constantly interprets the information it receives from the world.

Conspiracy Theory Ep 3

Why conspiracy theories are so hard to challenge

What happens in our brains when our strongly held beliefs are challenged?

Getty Images 1369924715

The psychology behind conspiracy theories

Is it possible that some people are more vulnerable to conspiracy theories? Or are we all at risk?

The psychological tricks that make cults so dangerous

We explore the secret world of cults through a psychological lens to try to understand how cults lure people in.

Face Painting - Optical Illusion

How magic helps us understand free will

Magic can help us understand how easily our mind can be deceived.

The surprising downsides of empathy

The surprising dark side of empathy

Researchers have found that there is a dark side to being empathetic.

Getty Images 636427031

Why some people are always late

Do certain personality traits mean some people are hard wired to be 'punctually challenged'?

Scrupulosity: The obsessive fear of not being good enough

Scrupulosity: The obsessive fear of not being good enough

Shay was 'baffled' when he first recognised his symptoms of scrupulosity.

Getty Images 103629800

Why do so many of us fall for the ‘gambler’s fallacy’?

Why do so many of us fall for the ‘gambler’s fallacy’?

Getty Images 157640136

Relieving stress in Shanghai's 'boom room'

The feeling of wanting to break something when you're stressed is common, but is it wise?

Why do so many believe in the paranormal?

Why do so many believe in the paranormal?

In the 21st Century, why do so many people still believe in the paranormal?

What lies beneath our attraction to fear?

Human beings are the only species that seek recreational fear.

Has social media created the ultimate 'age of envy'?

Envy has a nasty reputation as a 'deadly sin', but could it actually be a useful tool for self-reflection?

More from the BBC

Telegram challenges India ban over exam paper leak fears

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has called the ban a "mistake", arguing it would punish millions of users.

AISA members and students protesting against the NEET-UG 2026 scam at Jantar mantar, on May 14, 2026 in New Delhi, India.

India temporarily bans Telegram over exam paper leak concerns

The NEET exam had earlier been scrapped over allegations of a paper leak, sparking massive protests.

A medium shot of teenage boys in school uniforms sit side by side at their desks, working on a classroom task. The students write in their notebooks while smiling. The classroom environment is bright and typical of a modern school, with other students and teachers visible in the background. The image captures a moment of peer learning and collaboration in education. A teacher can be seen helping her students.

How a borough in Merseyside is bucking the UK's youth unemployment trend

Could personalised early intervention help prevent under-16s falling into the Neet trap?

Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, speaks at a conference in Hong Kong last November.

Bank boss sorry after describing workers as 'lower value human capital'

The Standard Chartered boss said he values all colleagues and is committed to helping them cope with change.

Demetrios Bradshaw, who is wearing a grey tracksuit, poses for a photo next to a statue of the large, silver Olympic mascot Wenlock.

'Where you start does not decide where you end up'

Demetrios Bradshaw grew up in a council flat in Mitcham and now runs an international aviation firm.

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