Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Psyche.

When Love Feels Like Anxiety
Caleb loved Iris so much he couldn't sleep. Not in the romantic, staying-up-talking-all-night way. In the lying-awake-at-3-a.m.-heart-racing-mind-spiraling way. In the checking-his-phone-every-five-minutes-when-she-didn't-text-back way. In the can't-eat-can't-focus-can't-function-unless-he-knew-she-still-loved-him way. People said he was in love. And maybe he was. But it didn't feel like the love depicted in movies or described in songs. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, constantly terrified of falling. It felt like his entire nervous system was wired to one person, and if she withdrew even slightly, his whole world collapsed. It felt, more than anything, like anxiety. They'd been dating for eight months, and Caleb had never felt this way about anyone. He thought about Iris constantly. Needed to know where she was, who she was with, whether she was thinking about him. When they were together, he felt euphoric. When they were apart, he felt like he was suffocating. "You're so intense," Iris said one evening after he'd texted her fourteen times because she hadn't responded for two hours. "I was just at dinner with my sister. I'm allowed to not text you for a few hours." "I know. I'm sorry. I just... I worry when I don't hear from you." "Worry about what?" Caleb couldn't articulate it. That he worried she'd realize he wasn't enough. That she'd meet someone better. That she'd wake up one day and wonder why she was with him. That every moment she wasn't actively choosing him felt like she might be about to leave. "I don't know," he said instead. "I just love you a lot." But it didn't feel like love. It felt like drowning while pretending to swim.
By Ameer Moavia13 days ago in Psyche
The Last Article of 2025
As the year is coming to an end, I find myself in a reflective space, thinking about the past 365 days, as well as where I’m at in this current point in time.
By Klara Kabelik14 days ago in Psyche
WHAT DID THE MOST POPULAR EXPERIMENT IN SCIENCE ACTUALLY SHOW?
One model. A complete reboot of your internal operating system. ⚠️ CHALLENGE FOR SKEPTICS Most people will close this tab within 30 seconds. “More quantum esotericism,” they’ll think. Their defense mechanism will activate. They won’t verify anything.
By W R14 days ago in Psyche
PAPER THIN. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
Raffaelo learned the rhythm of cruelty before she learned its intention. It arrived dressed as humor, wrapped in familiarity, passed hand to hand at family gatherings like a shared inheritance. Buffalo. A word chosen not for meaning but for sound, because it rhymed, because it landed easily, because no one had to think before saying it. Her parents said it with smiles, squeezing her cheeks, proud of how unbothered they believed she was. They never noticed how her laughter came a second too late, how she began standing at the edges of rooms as if apologizing for occupying them.
By Designed by Romaisa14 days ago in Psyche
Are You an Otrovert? The New Personality Type
I’m sure you’ve heard someone describe themselves as either an introvert or an extrovert. Two personality types on opposite sides of the spectrum. The eccentric and outgoing extroverts and the quiet and mysterious introverts, it seems wherever we look society tells us we are either one or the other. This leads many of us to pick a side that we may not associate with completely but feels closest to who we are. Nothing in the middle.
By Dave's Your Uncle!14 days ago in Psyche
The Year She Forgot How to Be Around People
Emma had been alone for 347 days when she realized she'd forgotten how to have a conversation. It wasn't intentional isolation. It started with the pandemic—everyone retreated into their separate spaces, and Emma's one-bedroom apartment became the entire universe. Then her remote job eliminated the casual water cooler chats. Her best friend moved across the country. Her weekly book club dissolved. One by one, the threads connecting her to other humans frayed and snapped. And Emma told herself she was fine. She had video calls sometimes. She texted people. She scrolled through social media seeing everyone else's lives. She wasn't truly alone. But when her neighbor knocked on her door to ask about a package delivery, Emma opened her mouth to respond and the words came out wrong. Stilted. Like she'd forgotten the rhythm of human speech. "I... yes. The package. It's... I haven't..." She couldn't form a complete sentence. Her neighbor looked at her with concern, and Emma felt a wave of panic. What was happening to her? After he left, Emma sat on her couch and tried to remember the last real conversation she'd had. Not a transactional exchange with a delivery person or a scripted work call, but an actual spontaneous human interaction. She couldn't remember. And when she tried to imagine having one now, her brain short-circuited. The social scripts she'd once known automatically—how to read facial expressions, when to laugh, how to know when it was her turn to talk—felt like a foreign language she'd once been fluent in but had somehow forgotten. Emma wasn't just lonely anymore. Loneliness had physically changed her brain. And she had no idea how to change it back.
By Ameer Moavia14 days ago in Psyche
Watch Out Wednesdays! (New Year's Eve Edition) - Opinion. Content Warning.
Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! Here is what to watch out for as we head into 2026! 1. Look for vengeance. For 2026, seek to avenge yourself of all of your enemies. Please be 100% in reaching your goal. Please make sure that they cry long into the night. Those who have plotted against you will be in misery when they see you being successful anyway.
By Adrian Holman15 days ago in Psyche
The Sad Truth About Feeling Unseen
Lila sat in the front row of every class, answered questions when called on, turned in perfect assignments on time. And her teacher still forgot her name.
By Ameer Moavia15 days ago in Psyche
Why We Crave Connection but Push People Away
Nina wanted someone to know her more than anything in the world. And the moment anyone got close, she found reasons to push them away.
By Ameer Moavia15 days ago in Psyche
The Moon's Cold Embrace
Arthur’s kitchen smelled of stale coffee and old wood. Every night, the same. He’d sit at the table, just him, the dim yellow glow of the pendant light pulling shadows long across the checkered linoleum. He’d trace the rim of his empty mug, the ceramic cool against his thumb. The quiet hum of the refrigerator, the distant whine of a dog somewhere down the street, these were his companions. And the empty chair across from him, that was always there too, holding the ghost of Eleanor, a faint imprint of her presence in the air, a scent he still sometimes imagined: lily of the valley, her favourite.
By HAADI15 days ago in Psyche
Broken Light on Wet Streets
Elias hadn't meant to be out this late. The rain, a cold, persistent sheet, had caught him three blocks from the bar, the one he’d just stormed out of. The argument, a low, simmering thing with Clara, had finally boiled over, spilling out in harsh whispers and a slammed door. Now, the city's neon signs, usually a garish blur, became something else, something sharper, something almost malevolent in the puddles.
By HAADI15 days ago in Psyche
NHS Lansoprazole Warning: What Patients Should Know Before Taking This Medicine. AI-Generated.
Lansoprazole is a common medicine used in the UK. Many people receive it through the NHS to treat stomach problems such as acid reflux, heartburn, and stomach ulcers. While this medicine helps a lot of patients, the NHS has also shared important warnings about its long-term and improper use. Understanding these warnings can help people use lansoprazole safely and correctly.
By Saad 15 days ago in Psyche