Imagine for a moment that you are in a room and you close the window because it is cold. You leave for a few minutes to get something and, when you return, the window is open again. Surprised, you tell your partner what just happened to you and they tell you that you are not well in the head, that you are making it up and that it has always been open. And now imagine that not only have they called you crazy, but that the one who actually opened the window while you were out was your partner.This manipulation technique is called gaslighting and was powerfully depicted in George Cukor's film Gaslight in 1944. In the film, a man manipulates his wife and makes her believe she is going crazy because she claims the gaslights in the house are dimming for no reason, unaware that he is behind this mystery. "He denies doing it to create doubt and terror in the woman's mind and, literally, to extinguish her reason," explains philosopher Hélène Frappat in Gaslight, or the Art of Silencing Women (Paidós, 2025). In this book, the author analyzes the history of this phenomenon, which she claims has transcended the boundary of personal relationships to reach historical revisionism itself. But, above all, she focuses on how gaslighting is a form of physical and psychological abuse towards women. A concept that, as early as the fifties, became a psychological category in the United States: "It is defined as a maneuver intended to manipulate someone into doubting their perceptions, experiences, or understanding of events," explains Frappat.The concept of gaslighting appeared shortly before Betty Friedan wrote her famous 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, in which she spoke of the "nameless" malaise that housewives living in the suburbs of the United States had. According to Friedan, this "mystique" was based on modeling the lives of these women according to an image that transformed them into "puppets". "The mystified woman comes to doubt her personality, her intelligence and her existence as an adult human being", explains Frappat.Psychological trap

For her part, North American researcher Jennifer Freyd analyzed the roles of the victim and the aggressor, and how they come to be exchanged between them during a process of gaslighting. "The aggressor is keen to give the impression that they are being unfairly attacked and that their victim is the real aggressor," she explains. In other words, a double strategy is carried out: "I destroy you, while convincing you that this destruction never existed, except in your sick mind," she qualifies.Suffering a gaslighting situation can be very detrimental to the victim, who can be subjected by their aggressor not only from a psychological point of view, but also sexually, and end up engaging in practices they would not really want to do. Doctor David W. Wahl discusses this in Psychology Todaymagazine, where he explains the case of a study analyzing a couple having sex under the influence of alcohol. Although she, under normal conditions, would not consent to anal sex, he ignored it, taking advantage of her state. The next day, if she complained, he would assure her that, in reality, she was the one who had asked him to do it. In this way, he distorted the victim's reality, making her believe his version and even making her feel guilty for having drunk.Knowing whether one is suffering or has suffered a gaslighting situation is not always easy. At the University of Michigan, there is The Gaslighting Project, where victims are invited to share their experiences to further investigate this process, whether in the context of romantic relationships, family, or even work. Detect danger

Toxic relationships have always existed. Fortunately, we now have many more tools to detect them and escape in time. Silvia Llop talks about all this in her new book Ahí no es, Mari Carmen (Plataforma Editorial, 2025). The psychologist assures that, of all the manipulations that can occur in a couple's relationship, gaslighting is one of the most destructive, because it is not always seen. “You don't always realize you are being manipulated, that the tables are being turned, or that you are being deceived, and then you end up not trusting yourself”, she laments.According to Llop, behind a person who gaslights, all sorts of traumas and emotions that they don't know how to manage can be found. “Most of them learned it at home, where they saw or directly experienced a situation of gaslighting,” she assures. It is possible that they are not even aware that they are practicing this, but it is a tool they have learned when faced with situations or feelings they don't know how to confront. On the other hand, to understand a person suffering from gaslighting, it must be taken into account that, previously, there has been a history that has been gestating. “You don’t see these attitudes on the first date. At first, 95% is magical and perfect and there is a 5% conflict that, over time, will grow larger,” explains the psychologist. In this way, at first you fall in love with a person who appears charming, and it is this that hooks you little by little, without realizing that you are falling into the trap of a toxic relationship. “Since at the beginning they have been such a wonderful person, later, when they get angry or have bad behavior, you excuse them thinking they are having a bad day,” Llop continues.Focus and self-esteem

So, how can we realize that we are entering a destructive spiral with our partner? “We have to learn to separate between feelings and reason: we cannot control the feelings and the attraction that a person generates in us, but there is another more mental part that we can evaluate, such as what kind of relationship they offer us and how they make us feel”, reflects Llop. Some of the questions we could ask ourselves are: What kind of dynamic do they offer us? Some days they make us feel good and others we spend crying? Is this what we want in life?Of course, leaving a toxic relationship where practices like gaslighting are practiced is not easy, but it is not impossible either. According to Llop, before taking any step, you have to start working on your self-esteem. “Do activities that fulfill you, go to therapy, connect with yourself, and don't allow the other person to distance you from all the people you love,” says the expert, who assures that it is very common for the abuser to isolate the victim from their entire environment. Rebuilding self-esteem is basic to being able to realize the abusive situation you are in and to be able to face the aggressor. “When you start focusing on the red flags is when you can start to get out of it,” she continues. Once out, it is important to maintain zero contact with that person to avoid falling back into the relationship, a situation that becomes complicated when children are involved.Even though a toxic relationship may have ended, it can take the victim some time to recover psychologically. For this reason, Llop advises them to undergo therapy for a while. “There has been such great destruction that it is as if a bomb had been dropped inside you. You have to rebuild yourself, understand what happened and, above all, not allow yourself to feel guilty for having “allowed” it, but rather understand where you came from and why you got involved. Only then will you be able to ensure that it does not happen to you again,” she concludes.

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“You have to prioritize yourself”. Ours is a time when recommendations to focus on oneself are proliferating. “You have bent over backwards too much for other people who bring you nothing”. These are ideas that circulate in cafes with friends, on social media, and in self-help books, but also in the consultations of many psychologists. “Enough of always trying to satisfy the desires of others instead of your own”.

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We live in a time when daily life seems defined by speed, self-imposed pressure, and the constant feeling of not being able to do everything. It seems increasingly difficult to stop and listen to our bodies and emotions. This is the topic of Dr. Noelia Samartin Veiga, a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist, and author of the book... You have come to live (Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2026).

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You've surely encountered it. They bring a small plate of olives (or ham, or cured meats, or whatever). And quickly, the people around the table start nibbling. The plump olives are replaced by scrawny pits in a flash. But suddenly the pace stops. Only one remains. And no one dares to take it. It sits there in the middle until the waiter comes and says, "Won't anyone take the one of shame?" Everyone laughs, and someone says, "I'll do it, go ahead."

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Psychologists know all sorts of details about their patients' lives and personalities, but professional secrecy obliges them to be discreet and not share that information with anyone. But what happens when a patient ends up in the dock or expresses an intention to commit a crime during therapy? In these cases, the law and professional ethics regulate the limits of professional secrecy and when it can become meaningless.

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Nobel laureate in economics Richard H. Thaler (East Orange, New Jersey, 1945) has dedicated his career to demonstrating that human beings don't behave as economics textbooks say we should. We make mistakes, we are driven by emotions, we have biases and irrational expectations. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, we remain the protagonists of the decisions that shape the world.

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It's the final dress fitting, and Maria Àngels Gómez emerges from the fitting room with a look of satisfaction on her face, of being able to wear the style she likes and no other. The dress is long, lilac, and has a pointed bodice that ends in a low neckline. "You look very pretty, elegant," one of the salespeople tells her as she looks at herself again and again in the mirror with a smile on her face. It's precisely the idea she had for her 50th wedding anniversary celebration, "something cheerful and elegant," she describes. Finding this dress has cost her a "big upset" and is yet another example of the ageist prejudices embedded in society.

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Genocides leave a profound mark on human history. They don't just kill people, they also leave deep psychological wounds that are passed on from generation to generation—the word trauma comes from Greek and means wound-This is what will happen to the clean and clean people who will survive the extermination of Gaza. Even if they haven't seen a single bomb, these children will carry within them an inherited emotional and psychological burden. This burden of pain from previous generations is what is known as transgenerational trauma and refers to the transmission of pain, fear, emotional disconnection, and other psychological after-effects of traumatic events to one's offspring. Therefore, the shadow of today's inhumane slaughter on the Palestinians will be carried by these people for generations to come.

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"I would like my farewell to be like a twilight in the Arctic Circle during the summer. That is to say, long and beautiful." This is how the wise man and professor of psychology Ramon Bayés, who died this Thursday at the age of 94, wished—and left in writing—for his final moments of life. Bayés dedicated a large part of his life to people, to understanding their behavior during life and their suffering when death approached.

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Who goes to therapy? Elena Puig Guitart explains that not everyone who would or should go: "We don't have resources on a public scale. Going to a psychologist is a luxury, and it should be universal." Puig is a psychologist, but she has also found passion in giving advice on social media, where she has managed to gain thousands of followers who, precisely, cannot go to therapy and they ask for help about relationships, emotional management or mental health.

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We've all heard it before: a poison rises in your gut, your pulse quickens, your jaw tightens, and it feels as if you're about to explode like a pressure cooker. Since time immemorial, humans have strived to find ways—more or less successful—to channel anger: counting to ten before speaking, punching a pillow, yelling into the wind (or at the unfortunate person in front of us)... But, according to a study published in the journal Nature, the solution could be found in a practice as simple as it is ancient: write the thought that has angered us on a piece of paper, tear it up and throw it away.

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It may seem silly. It is the tapping, a self-help technique that involves using fingertips to perform acupressure while counteracting negative emotions with breathing exercises and positive affirmations. A technique that has generated skepticism among some mental health professionals.

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We've all come across someone we've thought, to put it mildly, was a bit stupid. But what is stupidity? What makes someone stupid and what makes the rest of us think so? And why do brilliant minds say stupid things? These are some of the questions that French psychologist Jean-François Marmion attempts to answer in a book that brings together psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, and linguists entitled The psychology of stupidity (Peninsula).

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Having a psychologist who can guide us professionally is now within reach of any company or busy person, thanks to Project yourself, a program subsidized by the Consortium for Continuing Education of Catalonia and the Ministry of Labor (SEPE). Susana Villafaina, coordinator of the Development Projects Department of the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia (COPC), explains this to us.

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Draw a grid of boxes that represent all the weeks of your life. Paint the ones you've already lived sleeping. Joan Soler Sucarrats (Olot, 1998), a psychologist and mental health educator who offers workshops and talks and has 55,000 followers on Instagram. His goal is to develop an app with emotional well-being tools to help us navigate the stressful life of the 21st century.

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A couple of weeks ago the MIT Media Lab presented the AHA project (Advancing Humans with AI), a research program that brings together 14 research groups from the prestigious university around the question "How can we design artificial intelligence in the service of human flourishing and fulfilling lives?" Amidst the corporate festival of generative AI models, it is encouraging to see how research projects are proliferating to understand how interaction with AI is modifying behaviors, expectations, and imaginaries.

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A four-month-old baby, sitting on its mother's lap, looks at a screen displaying dinosaurs of different colors and sizes, and, from time to time, phrases in Chinese can be heard. Across the room, a team of researchers scrutinizes the baby's reactions and records reaction times to stimuli. This is one of the experiments conducted at the Childhood Research Laboratory at the Center for Brain Cognition (CBC) at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), where they attempt to decipher questions such as how we perceive language before speaking or how we face the challenge of learning two languages ​​instead of one.

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The testimonies of young people, families and psychologists in today's dossier shed light on a situation that had been sensed, warned of, but not yet made sufficiently visible. Mental disorders have grown among the general population as a result of the pandemic and lockdown, but among young people this growth has been especially worrying.

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