I am a complete sucker for a chocolate biscuit, one of the most exciting things about a 1980s childhood. Before structured playdates, Roblox and MrBeast videos, our thrills came in a biscuit tin full of Penguins, Clubs and Breakaways. The more chocolatey the chocolate, the better. Bliss. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn…
In 2018, when Jan Schölzel was on the Malaysian archipelago of Langkawi, some days were so humid, he found it difficult to leave his accommodation. “It was the hottest, most humid place I’ve ever been,” says Schölzel, who currently lives in Hanover, Germany. “This must have been one of the cooler days, because we went…
Sixteen months ago, I somehow found myself standing bewildered in the dock of a magistrates court, at my own bail hearing for attempted armed robbery, wondering if I was really there or not. I had inexplicably gone into a shop with a toy gun at 7.30am, pointed it at the cashier and screamed at him…
‘This is terrible! Life is measurably worse than it was before’ Zoe Williams There is a glaring asymmetry in the way we talk about screen time: from the moment a child is born, there will be someone, somewhere, ready with research about what phone exposure does to their development. More hours on a phone are…
Dopamine has a reputation as the body’s “feelgood” hormone, but it’s “really more about motivation than about positive affect”, says happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky. This is the chemical that nudges you towards things you enjoy, helping you muster the effort required to attend a party you’re on the fence about, then showering you with a…
Betty Boo wearing a black mirrored mini dress and heels at the Brit awards in 1991, and recreating the same image in 2024Betty Boo in 1991 and December 2024. Later photograph: Pål Hansen. Styling: Andie Redman. Hair and makeup: Nikki Palmer using hair by Sam McKnight and Jones Road makeup. Archive image: Shutterstock Born in…