Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features

So this is the week after Christmas and what have you done? Photo: Mariia Korneeva/ Shutterstock

Why do many of us feel so 'blah' in the first week of January?

Here's how to beat the post-Christmas blues and prevent low moods and languishing

Mental Health • 16 Dec 24

The Christmas bird coming to a garden near you

Why do we associate robins with Christmas?

We associate robins with Christmas for reasons ingrained in our history, culture and popular fables

Christmas • 16 Dec 24

Brrrrrr. Photo: Lars Zahner/ Alamy Stock Photo

Are cold showers really good for your health?

Here's what the evidence shows about the physical and mental benefits - and risks - of being immersed in cold water

Health • 16 Dec 24

5 reasons why greyhounds make great family pets

They're easy to live with, low-maintenance and happy to be left alone to sleep

Dogs • 16 Dec 24

It might be a tight squeeze for the Christmas turkey in the air fryer. Photo: Getty Images

Does cooking your Christmas dinner in the air fryer save money?

An energy economist outlines what to consider if you're considering cooking your Christmas dinner in the air fryer

Energy • 12 Dec 24

So you want to know about what happens on Christmas Eve, do you?

Can scientists answer kids' questions about Santa Claus?

Irish school kids ask questions about what Santa does on Christmas Eve and a bunch of scientists try to provide the answers

Christmas • 16 Dec 24

Home for the Christmas with James Stewart, Donna Reed and Karolyn Grimes

Why It's A Wonderful Life is still a winner today

Frank Capra's masterpiece remains a Christmas classic because the film still speaks to many to us at this time of year

Film • 11 Dec 24

Chinese BYD electric cars: coming soon to a street near you?

Can China drive electric car prices lower in 2025?

It's a complex question involving a huge number of factors from US tariffs to the Chinese government

Electric Cars • 09 Dec 24

An Margadh Mór – in the local town was considered a big day where rural people sold hens, eggs, geese, turkeys and so on. Photo: RTÉ Stills Department

Do you know these 7 great Irish Christmas traditions?

From the Christmas box to An Margadh Mór, here are some memorable Irish Christmas traditions from years past

History • 09 Dec 24

'You don't want that, it's full of broccoli". Photo: Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

Parents lie to children lots but they should think twice about it

Treating children with respect and supporting them to develop and mature requires holding ourselves to higher standards of truthfulness

Children • 27 Nov 24

'Contrary to popular belief, the head is not a greater source of heat loss than any other adequately covered body part.'

It's cold! How to prevent your body losing heat

You can manipulate your clothing, activities and food to keep your body feeling warm

Weather • 20 Nov 24

Twenty-six years. That is roughly how much of our lives are spent asleep. Photo: Getty Images

Why 'sleeping on it' really does help

'Sleeping on it' really does help and four other recent sleep research breakthroughs

Sleep • 15 Nov 24

OMG there are only two rooms left at that 600 room hotel!

The hidden world of online pricing

Online retailers use an assortment of tactics and tricks to entice us to add products to our shopping baskets

Online Retail • 07 Nov 24

If we were to remember every detail, it would become increasingly difficult to retain the important information. Photo: Getty Images

Why forgetting things is actually good for you

Why do we forget things? Is it simply a sign of memory impairment, or are there benefits?

Neuroscience • 05 Nov 24

'Halloween is an important event in the calendar and marking it in your way makes children feel included and share common experiences with their peers'

6 tips to help kids with sensory issues enjoy Halloween

Halloween can be a unsettling, overwhelming and distressing time for children with sensory issues so here's hold to help

Halloween • 29 Oct 24

"Running shoes are designed in a way that improves running efficiency" Photo: Getty Images

The science behind the running shoes which help you go faster

Can innovations in footwear design really make such a big difference to your Parkrun, 10k or marathon time?

Running • 24 Oct 24

The moment when you realise you've ran out of shower gel

What makes a great horror movie so scary?

Halloween is a great time watch a scary movie, but what's the science behind why we keep watching even when it scares us?

Horror Movies • 17 Oct 24

How the Irish really invented Halloween

Halloween is the season which owes its roots to ancient Irish customs and beliefs

Halloween • 23 Oct

Scott Holder's Los Chicanos Taquería food truck is inspired by food from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and parts of Baja California in Mexico.

Why is Mexican food so popular in Ireland?

Like every seemingly overnight success, Mexican food has a longer history in Ireland than we might imagine

Food • 10 Oct 24

Will this couple be as interested in each other when the weather stops being so dark and miserable? Photo: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

Why we seek to settle down with a partner when winter begins

There's an evolutionary explanation for why so many single people want to settle down with a partner for the winter months

Relationships • 08 Oct 24

Mainstream methods for measuring feelings still treat positive and negative as opposite sides of a spectrum. Photo: Getty Images

Are 'mixed emotions' real?

Do people ever truly feel both positive and negative at the same time? Or do we just switch quickly back and forth?

Neuroscience • 04 Oct 24

'Changes in your hair may not simply be a case of age or how you've been styling it.'

What your hair says about your health

Hair can reflect what's going on inside our body so paying attention to the way it looks can give us clues to the state of our health

Health • 19 Sep 24

'Jack and Jill look at the same things in the kitchen but they see different possibilities for action'

Why men don't see the household mess that women see

Research suggests men and women are trained by society to see different possibilities when they look at mess in the home

Society • 13 Sep 24

Is this the biggest battleground in the kitchen?

Dishwasher wars: is there a right way to stack your dishwasher?

All you need to know about the biggest source of bickering and rows in the kitchen

Food • 13 Sep 24

'Dead Butt Syndrome can occur when one of your biggest muscles in the body forgets how to operate properly due to a lack of activity.' Photo: Getty Images

Do you suffer from Dead Butt Syndrome?

You may well do so if your lower back is very stiff and sore after a long day in an office chair or a car or van seat

Health • 10 Sep 24

Lifestyle