The School of Life

Epizode

• 
  Why 'love' is an imprecise word – and three alternatives 17.09.2026 2min

  Many of our relationship problems stem from the emptiness of our vocabulary around our affectionate emotion. We have only the minimal word 'love'. Luckily, the Ancient Greeks had a more nuanced and complicated vocabulary that we can usefully borrow from. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/i21Hv Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/FN5Mf FURTHER READING “Love is our highest value, what we all crave and what we believe makes us fundamentally human, but it is also the source of considerable anxiety. Chiefly, we worry whether we are entirely normal because it frequently feels as if we are not experiencing love the way we should be…” You can read more here: https://goo.gl/8smXPi MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships You can submit translations and transcripts on all of our videos here: https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?c=UC7IcJI8PUf5Z3zKxnZvTBog&tab=2 Find out how more here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6054623?hl=en-GB SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Vale Productions http://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Surprising Approaches to Stop Undermining Yourself 17.09.2026 4min

  We often observe self protective strategies in ourselves with a mixture of puzzlement and embarrassment. Why are we like this? Why can’t we be more normal? What’s up with us? Our newsletter is a treasury of ideas: ideas that can inspire, console, and improve your mental wellbeing. You’ll also hear news about our app, latest releases and exclusive Q&A content, where we answer your questions:https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ If you want to keep working on your mental well-being and self-understanding, download our hugely helpful new app now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/app/ Our website has books and articles to help you lead a more fulfilled life: https://b4f4.short.gy/QElbpO ​​For Psychotherapy and other therapeutic services: https://www.theschooloflife.com/therapy-booking/?presetTherapyType=Psychotherapy For information on The School of Life’s learning and wellbeing solutions for businesses, including workshops and talks, visit https://www.theschooloflife.com/at-work/ Email [email protected] or join our monthly business newsletter: https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1U9XMcR1KRRSyg1D8hYB1TQg4qle FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/letting-go-of-self-protective-strategies/ “There’s an enlightening and sometimes slightly painful exercise one can do by oneself to learn a bit more about the origins of how one feels and behaves. Pick out an emotional skill or habit that you know you’re not very good at – and write it down on a sheet of paper. Here are some examples: — Staying calm — Taking pride in yourself — Trusting — Missing people who go away We often observe these traits in ourselves with a mixture of puzzlement and embarrassment. Why are we like this? Why can’t we be more normal? What’s wrong with us?” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Léon Moh-Cah http://leonmohcah.com Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Zen Buddhism's Secret Tool 17.09.2026 5min

  For Zen Buddhists, fireflies are not just a quirk of nature — they’re the perfect metaphor for the bitter-sweet brevity of life. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/9seyZ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Iryxa FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3D3HMVM “One of nature’s odder creatures is the firefly, a soft bodied beetle that emits a warm yellow glow from its lower abdomen, typically at twilight, in order to attract mates or prey. Though relatively rare in Europe and North America, the firefly is a common sight in Japan, where it is known as the hotaru. Hotarus are at their most plentiful in June and July, and can be seen in groups around rivers and lakes. The glittering light of the hotaru is deemed to be so enchanting, the Japanese hold firefly festivals – or hotaru matsuri – to watch their dance…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Josh Philip Saunders https://joshphilipsaunders.co.uk/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Do Unfortunate Things Keep Occurring to Me? 17.09.2026 5min

  Much is constantly happening that annoys us. But the question is how much does it all, beneath the surface, have to feel intentional as well? Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/lKRdv Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/TO9QN FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3JKNNdK "Much is constantly happening that annoys us. Trains pull out of platforms as we approach them; taps snap off their moorings; shopping bags leak; suppliers go bankrupt; colleagues resign; cars break down. It is all — undoubtedly — maddening. But the question is how much does it all, beneath the surface, have to feel intentional as well?" MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Michael Young http://www.michaelyoung.com.au/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  How To Cope When Mental Illness Shuts Down Our Minds 17.09.2026 8min

  Mental illness affects almost every aspect of our cognition, from threat-perception to decision-making. We must learn to be sceptical about the legitimacy of negative thoughts. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/8YqaH Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/U0a6A The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/2YZDDDy "One of the great problems of human beings is that we’re far too good at keeping going. We’re experts at surrendering to the demands of the external world, living up to what is expected of us and getting on with the priorities as others around us define them. We keep showing up and being an excellent boy or girl – and we can pull this magical feat off for up to decades at a time without so much as an outward twitch or crack…" MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Elaine Song Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Our Hidden Wish Never to Discover Love 17.09.2026 5min

  The process of locating a partner to love is famously so hard, it may for a long time disguise an alternative, even more complicated reality: that whatever we claim, it would be a lot easier for us if we never found them. FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://9qq0.short.gy/OscLTV “The process of locating a partner to love is famously so hard, it may for a long time disguise an alternative, even more complicated reality: that whatever we claim, it would be a lot easier for us if we never found them. The hurdles of dating undeniably exist; that doesn’t mean that they aren’t also being gratefully used to hide - mostly from ourselves - a harder-to-mention wish to remain on our own. Consciously, we may tell ourselves that we would dearly love to land on a compatible soul. Inside, we are hard at work ensuring we won’t - and for a variety of hugely understandable reasons: - because it is simply too painful to hope. - because we have realised that we have too much talent for identifying characters who can torment us. - because we have had enough of other people’s madness and too much experience of our own; because humans may be best enjoyed from a distance.” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Deanca Rensyta https://www.deancarensyta.com/showreel Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  What Infidelity Means 17.09.2026 6min

  Being a victim of infidelity is one of the worst things that can befall us in love. One of the ways to come back from the harrowing experience is to ask what the real meaning of the infidelity might be. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/hxMAk Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/JH3l0 FURTHER READING “Infidelity is commonly interpreted as close to the greatest tragedy that could befall any relationship – and as the natural, inevitable prelude to the break-up of a union. It is viewed in such dark terms because, under the philosophy of Romanticism which has dominated our understanding of love since the middle of the eighteenth century, sex is understood to be, not principally a physical act, but the summation and central symbol of love. Before Romanticism, people had sex and fell in love but they did not always see these two acts as inextricably linked: one might love someone and not sleep with them. Or sleep with them and not love them. It was this dislocation that Romanticism refused to countenance. Sex was simply the crowning moment of love, the superlative way of expressing one’s devotion to someone, the ultimate proof of one’s sincerity…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/ipAbnG MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Ben Clarkson http://www.thebenclarkson.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Finding Your Mission 17.09.2026 6min

  Above and beyond having a job, what we really need to power our professional future is a sense of mission. A film that discusses what a mission is, and how we might find our own. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/VtAKQ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/PHhVU FURTHER READING “Missions are things we tend to associate with astronauts. If someone at a party asked you what you did, and you said you were involved on a mission of some kind, people would look at you sort of strangely. But in truth, we’d all benefit from focusing in on the purpose of our lives so that we can refer to them as missions of one kind or another…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/Vme9Mr MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on WORK and CAPITALISM in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLcapitalism SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Madadam films http://madadamfilms.co.uk/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Resilience In Challenging Times 17.09.2026 3min

  At the very darkest points of individual and national life, we need – more than ever – to practice the art of resilience. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/2flx8 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/kkRQI The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING “It can be humbling to realise just how many great achievements haven’t been the result of superior talent or technical know-how, merely that strange buoyancy of the soul we call confidence…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/J6meGJ MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on CAPITALISM in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLcapitalism SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: James Morr https://www.youtube.com/user/SpastikChuwawa with Tommy Williamson http://youtube.com/bricknerdtv #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  When Love Gets Complicated 17.09.2026 4min

  You’re up in the middle of the night and once again, you’re in trouble in love... Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/oIYIn Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/G8VMd FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://9qq0.short.gy/LODUbC “You’re up in the middle of the night and once again, you’re in trouble in love. You had another discussion over dinner. You tried to get them to see that sometimes because of X, you do Y and they respond with Z — and it’s unpleasant. And they countered — at first politely and then with great irritation — that even though A, you think B and that’s why C is maddening to them. Both of you tried — pretty valiantly — to get your points across with calm and kindness. Both of you managed to be more or less polite, more or less restrained, more or less grown up. And by the end of the two hour conversation, you parted in an almost affectionate way and went to sleep in different rooms…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife X: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/user/somegreybloke Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why, how & when to Charm 17.09.2026 9min

  Flirting is an art that deserves to be far more widely known and far more often practiced. Here is a short guide. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/e8YIW Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/7ljOz FURTHER READING Flirting has a bad name. Too often, it seems a supreme form of duplicity, a sly attempt to excite another person and derive gratification from their interest without any corresponding wish to go to bed with them. It looks like a manipulative promise of sexual affection that, at the last moment, leaves its targets confused and humiliated. In our sadness, back home alone after the nightclub or the party, we may rail against the flirt for ‘only’ flirting, when it had appeared there would be so much more. But this kind of pattern represents only one, unedifying and regrettable possibility around flirting. At its best, flirting can be a vital social process that generously lends us reassurance and freely redistributes confidence and self-esteem. The task is not to stop flirting, but to learn how better to practice its most honourable versions. MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Nina Cosford http://www.ninacosford.com/ Animation by Ali Graham http://www.grarg.com #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  How to Recount Your Dreams 17.09.2026 6min

  We often wake up from a dream with a powerful urge to tell those around us about what happened. But our listeners are also liable to feel restless and bored during our narration of the dream. The issue takes us to the heart of the challenges of communication. FURTHER READING “It’s been a dramatic night: you were in a hotel at a crossroads; the tide was coming in; someone threw a pencil at you; you were in the back of a big car with your grandmother, on the way to sit an exam; you had to climb over a wall but kept being tickled by a giant squirrel. Then you woke up. It felt immensely important, but when you go downstairs and try to tell your companions about the extraordinary things that travelled through your sleeping brain, the results are sobering. You keep saying that it felt ‘exciting’, ‘so weird’ and ‘absolutely amazing’, but – strangely – your attempts to get others to experience the particularities of your night are met by some dispiritingly blank stares. Half-way through the narration, someone pipes up to say the cereal is running low. Another person mentions it might rain later. Then the doorbell rings…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/CMK4a5 MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Steve West http://www.lazychief.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Significance Of Affectionate Teasing 17.09.2026 6min

  Knowing how to tease and be teased affectionately is a secret to knowing how to get on well with others. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/WrQXd Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/55duc FURTHER READING “It may not seem like it, but teasing done with affection and skill is a profound human accomplishment. There’s nasty teasing, of course – in which we pick away at a sore spot in someone’s life. But we’re talking here of the affectionate version, something generous and loving – which feels good to be on the receiving end of…” You can read more on this and other topics here: https://goo.gl/dMzD1t MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Wiep Teeuwisse http://www.wiepteeuwisse.nl/ https://vimeo.com/wiepteeuwisse #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Little Things Matter During the Apocalypse 17.09.2026 9min

  There remain few expressions better able to capture the futility of a task than one which compares our efforts to ‘rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.’ However, once we get to know them, we might come to think that they are what we should have been focused on all along. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/Dv6VE Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/PBnbW FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/you-still-have-time/ “There remain few expressions better able to capture the futility of a task than one which compares our efforts to ‘rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.’ The hull has been breached, the ship is sinking; to concern ourselves, at such a moment, with the position of the loungers would be the ultimate folly, the deepest possible failure to recognise the true hopelessness of the situation. The point seems grimly apt because we are, many of us, a little like the passengers on a stricken liner. Our larger hopes in life have been fatally holed: we see now that our career won’t ever particularly flourish; our relationships will always be compromised; we’ve passed our peak in terms of looks; our bodies are going to fall prey to ever more humiliating illnesses; society isn’t going to cure itself; significant political progress looks deeply improbable. Our ship is going down. It can feel as if trying to improve our condition, let alone find pleasure and distraction would be an insult to the facts. Our instinct is to be as funereal and gloomy as our ultimate end…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Green-Hope https://www.instagram.com/gemmagreenhope/?hl=en Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Relevance of Soft Toys 17.09.2026 6min

  Children’s relationships with soft toys is neither superficial nor unimportant to psychological development. If you like our films, take a look at our shop (we ship worldwide): https://goo.gl/bbNOLH Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/bfKhG Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/k7PPm FURTHER READING "Sometimes you can catch important things about human nature in apparent incidentals. It’s well observed that between the ages of around one and twelve, many children manifest a deep attachment to a stuffed soft object, normally shaped into a bear, a rabbit or – less often – a penguin. The depth of the relationship can be extraordinary. The child sleeps with it, talks to it, cries in front of it and tells it things it would never tell anyone else. What’s truly remarkable is that the animal looks after its owner, addressing him in a tone of unusual maturity and kindness. It might, in a crisis, urge the child not to worry and to look forward to better times in the future. But naturally, the animal’s character is entirely made up. The animal is simply something invented, or brought to life by one part of the child, in order to look after the other." More on this and other topics here: https://goo.gl/Z0Zk5b MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/P0DPzb Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships Do you speak a different language to English? Did you know you can submit Subtitles on all of our videos on YouTube? For instructions how to do this click here: https://goo.gl/ZPGmkH SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Julia Veldman http://www.juliaveldmanc.nl/ #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  What is Emotional Intelligence? 17.09.2026 8min

  Many of humanity’s greatest problems stem not from a shortfall of technical or financial intelligence, but what we term emotional intelligence. It is through the acquisition of Emotional Intelligence that we stand to become better lovers, workers, friends and citizens. We are rarely systematically taught Emotional Intelligence and pay a heavy price for this gap in learning. Enjoying our YouTube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/YvWZH Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/uJ__A FURTHER READING You can read more on this here: https://goo.gl/uKtkXK MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/ZCNGqX Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself You can submit translations and transcripts on all of our videos here: https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?c=UC7IcJI8PUf5Z3zKxnZvTBog&tab=2 Find out how more here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6054623?hl=en-GB SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tracy Foster​ http://www.tracyfoster.co.uk Directed & Produced by Tracy Foster Sound Design by Howard Sinden #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why we should pity High Achievers 17.09.2026 7min

  It is a measure of our collective delusion that we are so ready to be proud of high achievers and so slow to detect the wound that powers them on. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/cLi_e Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/422i- FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/304T25U ‘It might seem – at first glance – as though the people we term high-achievers could not possibly have any relationship to self-hatred: they are the ones who did exceptionally well in exams, whom the teachers admired, who won places at the best universities, who graduated with honours, who got into law and medical schools, who founded thriving businesses, who live in the wealthiest parts of town, who are up early in the morning preparing themselves healthy breakfasts before a day of important meetings. Surely we can’t impute that these might be sufferers from the ravages of self-disgust?..” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Eunju Choi https://www.rca.ac.uk/showcase/show-rca/eun-ju-choi/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Actual Reason You Despise Horoscopes 17.09.2026 4min

  Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Why do we mock superstition? This film challenges the perceived superiority of rationality, arguing that our skepticism often stems not from intellect, but from luck and privilege. Explore how profound despair and lack of options can drive a seemingly irrational search for comfort, prompting a deeper empathy for human vulnerability. #Philosophy #Empathy #Psychology #HumanCondition #Rationality #Superstition Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/on-mocking-the-superstitious/ “Rational people are used to being (at least in private) distinctly merciless in their mockery of the superstitious; the cohort who cling to the hope that the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter might presage an upswing in their romantic fortunes or who pray to an ancient god for help with a medical diagnosis or who close their eyes and will that - by the power of thought alone - they can influence the minds of others. How utterly and unremittingly daft, the rational will say; what knuckleheaded naivety to suppose that such manoeuvres can actually influence the course of reality…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/somegreybloke Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Dark Truths to Cheer us up 17.09.2026 5min

  A lot of our problems come from living in a culture that forces us to laugh all the time. That’s why it can be helpful to gather the darkest truths in one place, feel sad about them for a while, then head out with a lighter heart, certain that we have seen the worst life can throw at us. If you are struggling with Mental Health there are lines where you can get professional support: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/nhs-voluntary-charity-services/charity-and-voluntary-services/get-help-from-mental-health-helplines/ Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/lsufQ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/ZhRUA FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3peXUxR “A lot of our problems come from living in a culture that forces us to laugh all the time. That’s why it can be helpful to gather the darkest truths in one place, feel sad about them for a while, then head out with a lighter heart, certain that we have seen the worst life can throw at us. Here is a very small selection: The only people we can think of as normal are those we don’t yet know very well. Social media has taught us a lot about people’s deep minds; faith in humanity is no longer an option…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gabriella Marsh https://gabriellamarsh.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Our Partners Drive Us Insane 17.09.2026 9min

  We don’t end up with maddening partners by mistake. We’re driven towards them by quirks of our psychology we should learn to understand better. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/0T4oY Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/rwfgp FURTHER READING “We should feel sympathy for ourselves. The challenges of how we might find love are highly complex, seldom systematically explored and – relatively – brand new. We’ve been looking for love the way we do now for, at best, only 260 years. We’re still at the dawn of determining how to get into good relationships. Signs of our missteps are all around us…” You can read more on this and other topics here: https://goo.gl/lySpkh MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Kathrin Steinbacher http://www.kathrinsteinbacher.com #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices