Life Matters

Who can achieve great things? Turns out it's less about who shows early promise, and more about those who develop the motivation to keep going. Organisational psychologist and author Adam Grant discusses his new book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, and how to find the genius in everyone.

A new analysis of animal bones from a First Nations midden has provided more insight into the closeness of dingoes and humans prior to colonisation. We look at what this can teach us about our relationship with animals.

Plus, in her memoir, Desi Girl, Sarah writes about the complexities and nuances of coming of age as a first generation Pakistani-Australian, in the shadow of 9/11 and all that came after. 

"What do you do?" is often the first thing we ask new people we meet.

Identifying with our work can be empowering, but when we put too much weight on our professional personhood, we can feel lost when our work situation changes. We look at how to manage this and where our work-selves should fit in the broader scheme of our identities. 

Plus, comedian Anna Piper Scott and writer Yianni Agisilaou tackle a tricky Too Hard Basket dilemma involving platonic heterosexual friendships and children saying the darndest things.

Helping you figure out all the big stuff in life: relationships, health, money, work and the world.

One full year of paid parental leave with superannuation, access to universal childcare whether you’re working or not and more support for older women returning to the workforce; these are some of the key recommendations by the Federal Government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce. We look at how these recommendations could work in practice.

If you feel like your online experience boasts less quality posts from people you care about, and more ads, you're not alone. Journalist and activist Cory Doctorow looks at what has happened to social media in the past few years to make it feel 'crappy'.

Engineered stone derived from quartz might be a cheap way to get that marble look in your kitchen, but it comes at a cost. The dust leaves many workers with silicosis, and Safe Work Australia is considering a proposed ban of the material. We look at the health impacts and how that ban might work practically.

Plus, author on author, Sarah Krasnostein examines the cultural impact of Peter Carey. 

And learn about the power of placebo to alter your belief in more ways than you might have realised.

There's plenty to complain about right now, but does whingeing and venting serve us in the long term? Learn how to find the social benefits of complaining without without turning into a negative Nancy.

This very busy European summer season was mired by fires and heatwaves. Ironically, air travel contributes heavy carbon emissions that exacerbate these disasters. So should we be travelling long distances into the future? And how should we factor the impacts climate change into our travel plans?

And meet the educators bringing plants and greenery into the school environment to help children learn. 

When you have a child, or your friend has one, it can be a tectonic shift in your established dynamic. We look at whether it can work like before, and how to cope with the changes.

Plus, Nina Oyama and Simon Kennedy-Jewell tackle the tricky problem of people calling dibs on communal facilities at public campsites.

If a 300-year-old tree falls, and no one is around to save it, does it break a heart? Many, as it turns out. The illegal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in North England has highlighted the emotional connection we share with trees. We explore the power they have to ground us in an increasingly unstable world. 

Plus, in the second instalment of Leap, meet the man who ditched the 9-5 life to become an escort, and never looked back.

It's been more than 18 months since the RBA started raising interest rates to combat soaring inflation. Australians feeling the pinch might have hoped for some financial relief by now. So what's taking so long? Will the end ever be in sight? We take your questions.

If you've ever felt that hospitals are a cold, intimidating environment, know you're not alone. Meet the organisation using arts to transform health care culture, and make hospital environments more kind. 

It's now possible to register yourself with your local GP clinic, and potentially receive some benefits in return, under the new My Medicare program, which aims to improve care for patients and reduce visits to emergency departments. We explain whether its worth registering.

Our social media feeds have been inundated with graphic images of conflict, from Gaza to Ukraine. It can be very distressing, so how can we cope?

Plus, we investigate crowd rules in sport, in particular, why we need to stay silent at the tennis.