Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features

Garda officers attend to a casualty during Operation Barracuda, a training exercise simulating a terrorist attack, at Dublin City University in November 2018

How extremist groups use videos to recruit new members

Like gangs, private military contractors, mercenaries and the military, extemists use videos beause they are persuasive and influential

Media • 30 Mar 22

'When people here would ask me my name, I knew I would have to repeat it, sometimes over and over again' Photo: Getty images

The problem with having a 'difficult' name in Ireland

'When I say that I have a difficult name, I should also ask: difficult for who? And difficult for what reasons?'

Ireland • 24 Mar 22

Welcome to Meadowbrookfield - or is Castlehazelfield?

Welcome to Meadowbrookfield: the names we give estates in Ireland

Modern housing estate names tend to be innocuous, derivative and have a vague connection to the area they are built upon

Ireland • 24 Mar 22

'Squid Game for daters is about survival'. Photo: Christin Hume/Unsplash

'Online dating after the pandemic is like Squid Game for singles'

Dating has always been a social and personal quagmire, but online dating after Covid is a different beast entirely

Dating • 09 Mar 22

Former US first lady Michelle Obama: '"I still have a little impostor syndrome, it never goes away'

Here are 5 ways to deal with imposter syndrome

Successful, but still feel like a fraud? 70% of us have experienced imposter feelings at some stage of our life

Psychology • 24 Feb 22

'It's important to work out what kind of passion you have for your job.' Photo: Fizkes/Shutterstock

Why being passionate about your job may not be good for you

There's a big difference between a harmonious work passion and an obsessive one

Work and careers • 24 Feb 22

'Co-workers at a similar professional level can be seen almost as "work-spouses" for emotionally challenging times.' Photo: Getty Images

How your work colleagues affect your home life (and vice versa)

Your home life and work life may be a lot more closely linked than you think

Brainstorm • 23 Feb 22

'A more careful understanding of what's really different between generations is one of the best tools we have to understand change – and predict the future.' Image: Shutterstock

Boomers vs millennials: why the generation war is a myth

There are real differences between generations, but none of them relate to avocado toast or culture wars

Society • 03 Feb 22

A home to call your own: "what happens to your mental health and well-being when you find yourself locked out?"

How long-term renting is impacting on our mental health

Ireland's housing crisis is creating many problems, including mental health and well-being issues..

Housing • 02 Feb 22

Some of the 3,000 mainly Catholic women and children at a refugee centre in Gormanstown, Co Meath, following rioting and tensions in Northern Ireland in August 1971

Did Ireland really fail northern Catholics during the Troubles?

Recent comments about a lack of affinity in the Republic with the plight of northern nationalists do not stand up to scrutiny

Northern Ireland • 13 Jan 22

'We feel stronger mentally and physically when we believe we belong and are accepted as part of a family, friendship network, tribe or larger cultural group'. Photo: Priscilla Du Preez/ Unsplash

Why we're hurt by social rejection and exclusion

We can suffer from psychological and emotional hurt when ostracised by a person or group we were close to or part of

Psychology • 11 Jan 22

'The minimum price is the same at a fine wine retailer, an off-licence, a high-end food store, discount price supermarket, a bar or a restaurant.'

Why minimum pricing for alcohol won't reduce harmful drinking

This economic policy will end up raising extra revenue for the alcohol industry rather than addressing consumption or addiction

Ireland • 07 Jan 22

Democracy with a ballot paper in one hand and a light sabre in the other. Photo: Stefano Buttafoco/ Shutterstock

What Star Wars can teach us about the decline of democracy

Popular culture hits like Star Wars can help people think about contemporary political challenges in a new way

Society • 19 Nov 21

"Humans are irrational and emotional, making us hard to predict"

Just why is it so hard to predict the future?

We have the collective human skills today to understand the choices we have to make for the future we want

Society • 11 Nov 21

Well, I wouldn't have walked this route. Photo: Getty Images

Why we turn into our parents in our thirties

Here's why we may find ourselves mimicking our mothers or copying the way our fathers do something

Society • 04 Oct 21

Sign of the times: 'existing boundaries are the result of processes in the past that may restrict thinking about alternative political, social, and economic possibilities.' Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons

How Ireland's county boundaries define us

Forget intercounty GAA rivalry, the history of boundaries has a lot do with attempts to control people's freedom of movement

Ireland • 15 Nov 21

"The use of such sexual euphemisms has long historical precedents and reflects the rich vocabulary in the English language for describing and talking about intercourse"

How to talk about sex like a Love Islander

How young people talk about sex can be as important as their actual sexual activity

Love Island • 09 Aug 21

What makes Love Island so successful?

Beyond the appeal of watching people go through the ups and downs of finding love, just what is the enduring attraction of the show?

Love Island • 01 Jul 21

"When we looked at what housework the children were doing, it quickly became apparent that it was the girls who bore the brunt of the work" Photo: Getty Images

Irish kids & housework: boys will be boys and girls do the dishes

While most children do very little housework, research has found that it's mostly girls who pick up the slack

Children • 20 Jul 21

"Ireland is not typical in the data that emerges around fertility so it can be hard to anticipate Irish trends"

Sex and the Irish: has lockdown led to more babies?

We won't see the full impact of the lockdowns on birth rates for a while, but there will certainly be long-term consequences

Ireland • 03 Jun 21

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 film based on Mary Shelley's book

What monsters tell us about the modern world

The monster can enlighten us, liberate us and reveal how we are the monsters

Society • 25 May 21

"We tend to be known for getting married later, having kids later, but still having quite high fertility rates despite this postponement to later ages."

Why are birth rates falling in Ireland?

'The average number of children born to a woman aged 15 to 44 has dropped from four in 1965 down to 1.75 in 2018'

Society • 03 Jun 21

As adults, physical contact such as holding hands can provide a buffer against a stressful experience. Physical contact also increases immune function. Photo: Getty Images

The importance of bringing hugs back after the pandemic

Physical contact increases our immunity, reduces stress, and connects us with loved ones and once its deemed safe to do so, the long-term benefits of the handshake, hug or kiss on the cheek may outweigh the risk.

Health • 09 Apr 21

Frank Ocean rocking an orange puffer jacket and beanie from Arc'Teryx at Paris Fashion Week in January 2019. Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

How functional outdoor clothing became fashion's next big thing

Canada Goose, North Face, Arc'teryx and other brands are reaping the benefits of our fondness for high-end outdoor clobber

Fashion • 23 Mar 21

'Workplaces are microcosms of society and democratic societies require democratic workplaces'. Photo: Laura Davidson/Unsplash

Does where you work influence your political beliefs?

The way we are treated at work can shape our beliefs about how others should be treated

Work and Careers • 26 Aug 21