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There isn't a set recipe for raising successful kids, but psychology research points to a handful of factors that could help.

Reading Dan Frank, Book Editor and ‘Champion of the Unexampled’ Alan Lightman, Janna Levin and others recall the editor who shaped their work and a literary genre. Plus, more reading recommendations in the Friday edition of the Science Times newsletter. Dan Frank was the invisible guiding hand to a constellation of literary science writers, helping to define and expand the genre. Credit...NASA Goddard Summer is basically here, and now is the moment to find a book to fall into. I encourage you to begin with almost any book published by Dan Frank, the editor at Pantheon and Knopf who...

Keystone/Getty Images Extricating yourself from a toxic friendship can be tough. Unlike romantic relationships, there’s not a ton of advice out there about how to tactfully “dump” a friend. Fortunately, if you’re struggling to find the right words, you can take a few pointers from one of America’s greatest writers, John Steinbeck. In the mid-1930s, Steinbeck was close with an aspiring writer named George Albee, Brain Pickings reports. But by 1938, the friendship was beginning to sour. Jealous of Steinbeck’s professional successes, Albee began gossiping behind his friend’s back. ...

We all need guidance. We all need inspiration and motivation, especially during difficult times, but also during times of calm and peace. Naturally social creatures, we yearn for the feeling that comes from knowing someone has our back and is guiding us forward when we’re not sure where to go. Sometimes the help isn’t so straightforward. Sometimes there is an immense feeling of connection and comfort that comes from someone simply sharing their story, and when parts of that story resonate with your own. That’s what we strive to give you in every page of this magazine.

The Long, Slow Path to Progress I stopped writing for nearly two years. I had intended to return to my Life and Whim blog long ago, but various circumstances too mundane and uninteresting to recount got in the way. At least that’s how I rationalize things in my mind. Certainly, the COVID-19 crisis didn’t help, but my departure long predates the pandemic. In fact, there is no good reason why I stopped doing this thing that once brought me great joy. One important lesson I’ve learned from the experience is that the hardest part about stopping something you love is learning to start over.