Do cats make good therapy animals? The new trend showing felines may be more complicated than we realise: larisa Stefanjuk/Shutterstock Dogs are sociable, enthusiastic and widely used to comfort people in settings like hospitals, schools and care homes. But an increasingly popular alternative is emerging: therapy cats. The term is often used loosely in the …
The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights: The Gambia’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults. This potential reversal has thrust the country into …
Dopamine menus: the science behind the trend – and how it might help people with ADHD: The 'dopamine menu' concep was first popularised in 2020. MMD Creative/ Shutterstock Menus are usually something you’d expect to come across in a restaurant. But one social media influencer went viral recently for sharing a different kind of menu …
‘Bone smashing’: broken bones, tooth loss and blood vessel damage are just a few of the harms of this bizarre TikTok trend: There's no evidence 'bone smashing' can permanently alter your face's appearance. Kyryk Ivan/ Shutterstock The internet never ceases to amaze when it comes to the bizarre health crazes people are willing to try. …
Shadow work: why you should be cautious of the TikTok self-help trend: Melinda Nagy/Shutterstock I doubt the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), in all his prescience, would have predicted that his work would one day fuel a TikTok trend called “shadow work”. Life coaches and self-help gurus on the platform promote the exploration of shadow …
How often do you think about the Roman empire? TikTok trend exposed the way we gender history: Andrej Maculskij/Shutterstock How often do you think about the Roman empire? This question, posed to men by their partners on social media app TikTok, has led to a storm of viral videos. Women are amused to discover the …
The Future of Living: Why Smart Homes are More than Just a Trend: Smart homes are the future of living, offering a new level of convenience and control that was unimaginable a decade ago. With advancements in technology, creating a smart home is more accessible than ever. But what exactly is a smart home, and …
Mexican court ruling upholding women’s right to abortion shows global trend better than US Roe v Wade decision: It may surprise you to learn that, over the past 30 years, no fewer than 60 countries have liberalised their abortion laws while only four have rolled back abortion rights. The United States is, of course, one …
Kenyans don’t trust the courts – the main factors behind this trend: The international reputation of the Kenyan judiciary is running high following a raft of judicial reforms brought on by the 2010 constitution. The reforms, displays of judicial independence, and largely positive personal experiences might lead one to expect that public trust in the …
Greece’s record rainfall and flash floods are part of a trend – across the Mediterranean, the weather is becoming more dangerous: Recent images of the devastating flash floods caused by Storm Daniel in Greece hit close to home literally and figuratively. As a Greek who has completed a PhD and worked for the past eight …
Love or hate TikTok’s viral bottle-smashing trend? A neuroscientist explains what that says about your brain: Alberto Pardo Gomez/Shutterstock Millions of TikTok users are watching videos of the viral bottle-smashing trend, in which bottles and jars filled with drinks or food are rolled down steps before smashing. Some of these viewers seem to be watching …
Bed rotting: the social media trend the Victorians would love, especially writer Elizabeth Gaskell: Brooklyn Museum/Wikimedia Social media has created a number of crazes recently under the theme of “wellness” and the latest, it seems, is “bed rotting”. It involves retreating to bed, indulging in snacks and TV, ignoring life’s responsibilities, and only emerging again …
Is the ‘barefoot-boy summer’ trend bad for your feet? Experts explain: Anastasiya Adamovich/Shutterstock Riffing off 2019’s “hot girl summer” and 2022’s “Adam Sandler summer”, online magazine The Cut has declared 2023 the year of the “barefoot-boy summer”. American musician Mike Sabath and Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi were both papped walking barefooted earlier this year in …
TikTok’s Wes Anderson trend: why the quirky director’s style is ripe for social media parody: Three weeks ago, during a habitual morning scroll through social media, I kept coming across highly stylised video montages of people going about their every day lives. In one video, a man documented himself working in his wood shop. The …
Lucky girl syndrome: the potential dark side of TikTok’s extreme positive thinking trend: 'Lucky girl syndrome' is similar to the 'law of attraction'. Ground Picture/ Shutterstock If you’re looking for ways to bring more positive changes into your life, TikTok recommends jumping on the “lucky girl syndrome” trend. The hashtag links countless videos, all claiming …
TikTok ‘mascara’ trend: young people have used codes to talk about sex for generations: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Social media has long been a place for makeup enthusiasts and beauty gurus to discuss trends, but that’s not why TikTok users are currently talking about mascara. Young people are using “mascara” as a code word for talking about sex, …
Power cuts in South Africa: trend to get off the grid is gathering pace, but total independence is still a way off: Solar powered water heaters on rooftops above shacks in the Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa. Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These …
Attachment theory: what people get wrong about pop psychology’s latest trend for explaining relationships: The way we bond with our primary caregiver as a child influences our interactions as an adult Liderina/Shutterstock Attachment theory is almost everywhere. In magazines and books, in the news, on social media and in our conversations with each other. Originally …