Your own thoughts are just part of the picture - relationships are vital to the way you think. Read by Gary Furlong.

The Guardian is the world's leading liberal voice providing independent analysis and investigative journalism on current topics like environment, art, and human rights.

The Guardian

Why your brain needs other people

Charli xcx’s new album, Brat, highlights how many young women currently aspire to live – dirty, hedonistic, happy and bra-less. Well, it beats journalling after a long day of pilates! Read by Emma Powell.

Brat summer: is the long era of clean living finally over?

How privatisation changed Britain's water industry

Familiar concerns over bosses’ pay, prices and borrowing emerged in the utilities’ early years in private hands, with the UK dubbed the ‘dirty man of Europe’. Read by Gary Furlong.

Cheap sales, debt and foreign takeovers: how privatisation changed the water industry

It has been called the morning miracle – getting up before everyone else and winning the day. But does it make you more productive and focused? Joining the cult of early risers, Anita Chaudhuri finds out. Read by Emma Powell.

The cult of 5am: is rising at dawn the secret of health and happiness?

The story behind the Enhanced Games, the Olympics where everyone dopes

It's got billionaires, world champions and director Ridley Scott's company on board. But would an athletics competition where taking drugs is encouraged put the honesty back in sport - or cause rifts, risks and addictions? Adharanand Finn investigates the potential and hurdles for the Enhanced Games. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Imagine if a 60-year-old broke Usain Bolt’s record’: the story behind the Enhanced Games, the Olympics where everyone dopes

How can we move from surviving to thriving? Elle Hunt talks to counsellor Christina Rasmussen about today’s 'epidemic' of people feeling stuck and how we can change it. Read by Sharon Bott.

Why do I feel like I’m stuck in a ‘waiting room’, hoping for my life to get started?

Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book blames social media for a decline in teenage mental health. However, Lucy Foulkes argues that understanding the broader context of adolescence and providing supportive environments can better address their challenges. Read by Emma Powell.

I’m an expert on adolescence: here’s why a smartphone ban isn’t the answer, and what we should do instead

The rise of the 'sigma male', driven by figures like Andrew Tate, has infiltrated social media with toxic masculinity. Steve Rose explores the phenomena, highlighting its roots and current status as a laughingstock of the internet. Read by Gary Furlong.

The sad, stupid rise of the sigma male: how toxic masculinity took over social media

Growing awareness about ADHD and autism is reshaping thinking in science, society and medicine. Ian Sample talks to scientists who explain what’s behind the rise – and the best ways to improve neurodivergent lives. Read by Jonathan Booth.

The truth about ADHD and autism: how many people have it, what causes it, and why are diagnoses soaring?

University is free for most students, the economy is thriving and the club scene is hot. Is it any wonder young people in Vilnius are smiling? Kate McCusker explores why Lithuania topped 2024's World Happiness Report rankings for the under-30s. Read by Emma Powell.

‘You can do anything here!’ Why Lithuania is the best place in the world to be young

Taylor Swift's unparalleled success has revolutionized the music industry. However, as Dorian Lynskey reports, it's uncertain if her achievements benefit other artists or highlight the growing divide between superstars and everyone else. Read by Jonathan Booth.

It's the age of Swiftonomics - but will Taylor Swift's phenomenal success trickle down?

America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world

Elon Musk (a father of 11) supports their cause, and thousands follow their ideology. Malcolm and Simone Collins are on a mission to make it easier for everyone to have multiple children. But are they model parents? Jenny Kleeman investigates the rise of pronatalists. Read by Sharon Bott.

America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world: ‘There are going to be countries of old people starving to death’

There are real benefits to a society where people feel safe enough to leave their babies and bikes on the street. How have the Danes achieved this level of faith in their fellow citizens? Zoe Williams investigates the nation's remarkable level of social trust. Read by Emma Powell.

The Denmark secret: how it became the world’s most trusting country – and why that matters

Stuart Potts is an unlikely do-gooder – a former crack addict who has hit rock bottom more than once. But since 2020, as Samira Shackle explores, he has offered hundreds of homeless people a bed in his small flat – and for many of them, it has been life-changing. Read by Sharon Bott.

The man who turned his home into a homeless shelter

How Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, runs India

For 40 years, Amit Shah has been at Narendra Modi’s side – his confidant, consigliere and enforcer. Today, he is India’s second-most powerful man, reshaping the country in radical ways. Atul Dev explores his story. Read by Michael Bott.

‘He likes scaring people’: how Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, runs India

Four families torn apart by Chile’s illegal adoption scandal finally found each other decades later. Talking to Naomi Larsson Piñeda, they describe the emotional moment they met – and how they pieced together the lives they had spent apart. Read by Sharon Bott.

She was told her babies were dead. Instead they were sold abroad. What happened when she met them 40 years on?

Inside the scent firms making smells for Subway, Abercrombie and more

As brick-and-mortar retail stores compete with e-commerce, chains are spending heavily to immerse customers in bespoke fragrances. Aimee Levitt explores how these scents can enhance customers' emotional connections to increase sales. Read by Emma Powell.

‘It’s the brand speaking to you’: the scent firms making smells for Subway, Abercrombie and more

George Monbiot comes face to face with his local conspiracy theorist

COVID-19 vaccines, chemtrails, the Great Reset…why do people invent false conspiracies when there are so many real ones to worry about? There’s only one way to find out: ask a believer. 

George Monbiot reflects on the world of conspiracy and why it's so attractive in this time of uncertainty. 

Read by Simon Mattacks.

‘You’re going to call me a Holocaust denier now, are you?’: George Monbiot comes face to face with his local conspiracy theorist

A devoted father with a zest for life, he was given an indeterminate sentence in 2006. He is still locked up – and losing hope that he will ever be released. Simon Hattenstone reflects on the enduring controversy and human cost of sentences like imprisonment for public protection (IPP). Read by Jonathan Booth.

Martin Myers tried and failed to steal a cigarette. Why has he spent 18 years in prison for it?

The inside story of the biggest art fraud in American history

Orlando Whitfield was a student when he became best friends with Inigo Philbrick, 'the art world's Bernie Madoff'. He recounts their decade-long collaboration and Philbrick's elaborate art fraud schemes, shedding light on the corrupt and unregulated art market. Read by Emma Powell.