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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Jan and Flo are very different, but they have shared an apartment for years. Taking advantage of a few days of vacation, they have gone to Mallorca. The first night they went out to dinner and, afterwards, to party. Flo takes care of himself, and after having another glass of Ribera del Duero, he preferred to go back to the apartment. On the other hand, Jan, more of a bon vivant, first indulged in two good plates of macaroni, then had gin and tonics, and at the club, he drank straight from a Moët magnum that was circulating on the dance floor while he danced, sang, and hugged friends he had met that very morning. It was already daylight when he went to bed, tired but happy. When he woke up, Flo had already been doing his yoga exercises for a while, had eaten yogurt with cereal for breakfast, and was now answering some emails. Jan loves sobrassada and ensaïmadas, and there is nothing better than this combination to start the day if you are on vacation in Mallorca. Then he put on his swimsuit and dived into the pool, splashing Flo, who at that moment was on his third lap. Jan prefers the butterfly style. Flo protects himself from the sun with a hat under the umbrella. Jan, on the water mattress, closes his eyes while feeling the sun warm and tan him.

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40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed with good prevention from an early age. This is stated by David Pérez Martínez, a neurologist with extensive professional experience focused on the study of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, who assures that it is never too late (or too early) to start taking care of our brain. The neurologist recently published the book Cuida tu salud cerebral" (Alienta Editorial), a guide with which he aims to offer a practical approach that brings readers closer to the importance of having information at hand to adopt preventive measures. Prevention that we must carry out throughout our lives, which is why, in the book, he proposes a personal action plan suitable for all audiences. He states, emphatically, that the challenge, beyond having information and knowledge, is deciding to act. As Pérez explains, "for ten or fifteen years we have known that diseases like Alzheimer's do not begin when the symptoms start, but rather much earlier, probably fifteen or twenty years earlier. Therefore, if we intervene early with preventive measures, we could try to slow down the course of these types of diseases or delay their onset".

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It is an ordinary spring day. Someone, from their home, is preparing a letter. The envelope also contains a series of illustrations. The ritual is repeated, a gesture that transports us to a past century, when algorithms did not yet exist. The one writing could be Mercè Rodoreda; the one receiving the letter, Joan Sales. But we are not in 1960 nor facing a classic literary correspondence, but rather a trend that emerged on social networks, called mail club, which points to a timid return of postal mail in a scenario of digital saturation and the search for analog alternatives.Through a model we already know, that of the monthly subscription, artists and illustrators from all over the world send letters, stickers, illustrations, photographs, or recipes to a group of subscribers. "Receiving a well-cared-for and beautiful letter in your mailbox every month, in a world saturated with information and mediated by screens, seems like a stroke of luck to me," explains Lorena, a young woman who is subscribed to two mail clubs different, Bunny Mail Club and La Mamarrracha. "I believe that, in addition, it is a way to support artists, because their work is often lost in the immensity of content distributed on social networks," she reflects.A new way to connect

While other digital trends are born and stay in the online universe, the mail club, on the other hand, has managed to make the leap to the offline world, and has gained special strength among generations like Z. “We need community in all areas, and this component is especially important for generations like Z. In Spain, 35% of young people between 18 and 24 years old feel lonely; we have a very significant situation of unwanted loneliness. Initiatives like mail clubs can contribute to creating community and connecting with objects in another way,” reflects Liliana Arroyo Moliner, director of the SoReDI (Chair for Socially Responsible Digital Innovation) at Esade.The phenomenon, which has been operating in the United States for a couple of years through crowdfunding platforms like Patreon, has found its niche in Catalonia thanks to profiles like communicator Berta Aroca or illustrator Irina Torres Conejero, creator of Bon Profit Club, who prepares a surprise content each month, often related to a time of year like Valentine's Day, Christmas, or seasons like spring.“I always include a letter written and signed by me, a sheet of A5 cotton paper, and some small details like a sticker, a postcard, a template for journaling, and other surprises”, explains Irina, who started this project in November 2025 and already has over forty subscribers. As with most of these mailings, her letter is much more than a simple piece of paper: “You don’t just open and read the letter, but you also decide what to do with the materials I send”.Unlike a newsletter, which can go unnoticed among countless emails, a paper letter fills a space and accompanies us. “It can be smelled, framed, and can live in a drawer, in the fridge, on a wall, or in furniture. Besides being more subtle and erotic, it is tangible, and we are short on experiences that involve the use of hands, and not just eyes and ears,” explains Bea Salas, psychologist, illustrator, and creativity teacher.Following this line, the artist Laura García, from León, created in June 2024 Garlic Yaya Club, a monthly mail club that combines unpublished recipes, letters, and various artistic objects designed by herself. “I wanted to create something physical that people could touch, collect, and enjoy beyond the screen.” In Laura's case, each edition revolves around a theme and a recipe that inspires her: “When I discovered the format, I realized it had to be about cooking. It was something I hadn't seen before, so I decided that Garlic Yaya Club would have its own recipes to convey my passion for home cooking, slow processes, and carefully made things,” explains this entrepreneur, co-owner of Antisouvenir®, a bookstore specializing in independent publications that she runs with her partner.This slowness, in contrast with the immediate gratification of algorithms, seems to be the key to these postal deliveries. Even though in 2011, with the creation of the first social networks, users acted as true "internet inhabitants", today networks have become a publicity showcase, both of ourselves and of all kinds of products, as Marta G. Franco explains in the book Les xarxes són nostres. Una història popular d’internet i un mapa per tornar a habitar-la, published in Spanish by the editorial Consonni. We scroll without looking, we accumulate links that we never open and, amidst so much digital chaos, we all seek the feeling of belonging to something more real, especially at a time marked by the generation of images with artificial intelligence.“Faced with empires like ChatGPT, Spotify, Google, Amazon, and Apple, phenomena naturally emerge in the opposite direction, in this case, spaces that protect and celebrate our humanity: handmade art, dedicated communication, the use of senses, and face-to-face interaction. Mail clubs seem to be a response to a real need to express ourselves, communicate, and belong without major intermediaries,” explains Salas. mail clubs seem to be a response to a real need to express ourselves, communicate, and belong without major intermediaries,” explains Salas. The value of physical experience

In fact, for Generation Z, the internet is a central element in their daily lives and also their main leisure activity: 90% spend two or more hours a day online, according to the 2023 Youth Survey, collected in the 2024 Report on Youth in Spain. the 2024 Report on Youth in Spain. "I don't know if this model will last as is, but it does respond to a deep need that will probably remain: generations that have grown up with digital find more value in non-virtuality and in what is tangible," confirms Arroyo.Marina, who was subscribed for two months to a mail club from the United States, confirms this theory that we have already seen in trends like Sonny Angels: “I was very excited about opening the letter, not knowing exactly what was coming, discovering the postcards and stickers; more than the letter, it was the whole package that surrounded it. However –she explains–, being in another language, I didn't end up feeling part of the community”.This is not the case for Irina and Laura. They do maintain direct communication with their subscribers: “I always encourage them to write to me whenever they want, even by letter, because I love getting to know them. In fact, I always send a personalized welcome email, encouraging them to tell me who they are, what they like, and what motivates them to cook,” says the creator of Garlic Yaya Club, who, despite not being able to live solely off this format, sees it as a viable alternative. “I always ask in the letter how they are, and I receive quite a few messages replying to me on Instagram, and that’s really cool because I do feel that a different bond is created,” says Irina.Like any trend born on social media, mail clubs cannot be disconnected from their digital component, nor can they foresee the behavior of some users, who will probably limit themselves to photographing the content and posting it on their social networks. Nevertheless, artisanal work and analog creation exist beyond these subscriptions. The format only shows us that, faced with a lack of intimacy and connection, "human beings are more intelligent and creative, and look for ways like these to recover what they miss: connection, contact, and a shared experience," reflects psychologist and illustrator Bea Salas.

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When Sergi arrived, it started to rain. He strategically positioned himself at one of the small round tables and ordered a coffee. It's spring. It rains and it's sunny, and it's as hot as it is cold, but here, leaning against the wall under the awning, Sergi is having a blast, watching the world go by right in front of him. Like a movie. Now it's raining hard and a boy walks quickly, covering his head with his backpack; a stylish couple, with matching trench coats, advance slowly under a black umbrella, a bulldog watches Sergi while a huge drool hangs from its mouth, and a girl in flip-flops types on her phone. Today he'll have a spill.

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Scents have the power to transform atmospheres, modulate behaviors, and can seduce, comfort, or heal. The sense of smell is the mirror of a society and also a historical portrait. This is stated by Dr. in neurosciences and research professor at CSIC, Laura López-Mascaraque, in her book El fascinante universo del olfato, published by geoPlaneta. A volume that aims to highlight the sense of smell, probably the greatly forgotten one, as priority has always been given to what we see and hear, when, in reality, smell is the gateway to memory and emotions and a way to explore the world.

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Pol, Nil, Jan, Roc and Jacobo have met at Sol Soler on Plaça del Sol in Gràcia for some beers. As soon as they entered, Roc saw a girl who caught his attention.

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We've seen it in countless movies: "Hello, my name is so-and-so and I'm an alcoholic." We know the acronym Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and what it represents. But what we might not know is that behind these initials –and this recurring phrase– lies a twelve-step therapeutic method created by two men from Ohio in 1935, which has since helped millions of people worldwide. This method is now applied in 68 countries, including Spain, where there are up to 586 active Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups. A study by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital concluded in 2020 that this AA twelve-step therapy "is more effective than other established treatments for increasing abstinence" and improves outcomes, especially "in the long term," helping people stay sober for longer. The survival and constant global expansion of this system for nearly a century also attest to its effectiveness.

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Medieval cartographers, when they reached the edge of a map and no longer knew what to draw, would write: Hic sunt dracones. “Here be dragons.” At that time, the world was not a perfect sphere, but a finite board where, if you strayed too far from the coast, you risked falling off the precipice. The path had ended, beyond lay only the void, the fog, and sea beasts.

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“I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder for me to go out partying,” says Albert Thió Hortoneda, 26, from Barcelona. “You go into a club at two in the morning, you’ve paid 20 euros, and to get your money’s worth, you have to stay until six. This throws my sleep patterns off a bit,” he explains. He says that packaged, consumer-focused partying that lasts for hours on end doesn’t appeal to him. “I hadn’t really thought about it being a generational thing, but I do see that a lot of people around me are experiencing the same thing,” he points out. In fact, articles and videos with hashtags like "We've normalized not going out"where very young people speak openly about not going out partying in their 20s. What was once a stigma – having to tell friends not to include you in their plans – seems to have found its niche on TikTok with hashtags on well-being and self-care.

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She embodies all the contradictions of modern feminism: she's a successful businesswoman, a self-sufficient mother, unmarried, and has built an empire thanks to her image. Quite a girlbossAnd yet, her feminism neither questions nor criticizes the patriarchy; it simply aspires to have it all. She is the model and influencer Kylie Jenner, one of many who have triumphed on social media by showcasing such a high level of beauty and perfection, has only strengthened the system from which so many women try to escape. A patriarchal beauty standard that is becoming increasingly strict, but which disguises itself as female empowerment.

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At the end of 2025, Pantone proclaimed the Color of the Year to be cloud dancerAn off-white that, under a poetic evocation of lightness and calm, was nonetheless an unusual choice: for the first time, white assumed the annual spotlight. The decision generated controversy. Not only because white remains, for many, more of an absence than a color, but also because, in a political context marked by the resurgence of identity politics and conservative discourses, some interpreted it as unsettling symbolism.

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Let's be honest. Most of us, when the temperature drops below five degrees Celsius, don't feel like leaving the house, and if we do, we turn into a kind of human onion wrapped in thermal layers, polar fleece, and wool, with red noses. But what if we told you that, while we're glued to the heating, the world outside is transforming into an ephemeral art gallery?

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Birgitte Thorup Nielsen (67 years old) carefully descends the icy stairs to avoid slipping. The sea water is -1 degree Celsius, and the strong wind whips up waves that splash her swimsuit before she enters the water. On a winter morning, the sun is hidden behind a gray sky, and the air temperature is -4 degrees Celsius, but the gusts of wind make the cold feel even more intense.

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Did you know that the world's wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests? And that although they only cover 6% of the Earth's land surface, they harbor 40% of the world's biodiversity? This and much more is what is highlighted every February 2nd, World Wetlands Day. This date also reminds us of the urgent need to protect these fragile and often overlooked ecosystems. "People are guided by aesthetics, and a forest is more attractive than a wetland, which is often considered just a source of mosquitoes and bad smells," warns Margarita Menéndez, professor of ecology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona. This lack of "attractive" animals in our country—unlike the hippos we might find on a safari in Kenya—means we ignore a hidden biodiversity of amphibians, reptiles, and macroinvertebrates that are the true driving force of the global food web.

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Adriana Jarrín was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was only 26. Luckily, it was detected early and chemotherapy saved her life, but both the shock of the diagnosis and the entire process had a profound emotional impact, in addition to significant physical weakness, she recounts. "A cousin recommended I start doing yoga, and it was truly an incredible encouragement and helped me tremendously." "Above all, the feeling of doing something for myself helped me cope better with the illness," she explains. That was in 2005, and today Jarrín dedicates her life to helping other cancer patients. She not only offers oncology yoga in several hospitals, but also trains teachers of this type of yoga at the Radika Foundation and has written a book. Yoga in times of cancer (Editorial Platform).

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Cooking cannot be declared dead. Although it's declining at home, partly due to the avalanche of ready-made meals marketed as the antidote to lack of time, cooking is an eternal act that cannot simply disappear. This is the prediction of veteran cook, culinary scholar, and writer Rosa Tovar, who remains optimistic despite seeing the global outlook as "very bleak." She reminds us that "human life is impossible without food," that there's no need to resort to outlandish dishes—lentils or broth can be "a marvel"—and she has faith that cooking will endure.

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Daniel Knowles was born in the United Kingdom and now lives in Chicago, USA. In both countries, he says he is fed up with hearing radio alerts about a new "Carmageddon"The typical apocalyptic traffic jams on the return from vacation. That's where the idea for the title of his book came from." Carmageddon (Captain Swing), where this journalist, former correspondent of The Economist It analyzes the forces that have made the car the king of transportation in today's society and its implications, starting with air pollution. "We are approaching 2 billion cars worldwide, but the number is growing much faster than the population," it warns. Nearly 25% of the CO₂ emitted globally comes from transportation, and three-quarters of these emissions are from road transport. And this only considers the gases that warm the planet; cars also emit other gases and particles harmful to health, such as NO₂.₂ or PM2.5. "The switch to electric cars [which is now even being called into question with the reversal of European policies] isn't the solution, I think; it's only part of it," says Knowles via videoconference from Chicago. He explains that Europeans drive an average of 10,000 kilometers a year. In the United States, where public transportation is minimal and everything revolves around the car, it's nearly double: 19,000 kilometers on average. Knowles did the math, and converting all of this to electric cars would require "spending twice as much on electricity." There's no alternative; it's necessary to reduce car use.

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Naturalistic, community, wild, urban, botanical, minimalist, edible, floral gardens... The range of gardens found around the world seems almost infinite and is constantly evolving, always responding to the needs of each era. And this isn't a contemporary phenomenon, because throughout the history of gardening, each period has had its own style, reflecting the aesthetic preferences of each time and culture, as well as the climatic conditions, the terrain, and the materials available. From the hydraulic efficiency and symmetry of Egyptian gardens, through the multifunctionality and emphasis on landscaping in ancient Greece, to the spatial control of medieval gardens, the minimalism of Japanese gardens, or the geometric rigor of French gardens.

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"I'm tired." This is a phrase frequently heard in the office of Anna Sánchez Bendahan, a sexologist and couples therapist. This exhaustion has little to do with not getting enough sleep: "Many women are tired of relating in the same way, of seeing themselves in the same patterns, or of the same thing happening to them all the time with men," explains the expert, adding that "in response, women express that they need a break in their sexual relationships." This phenomenon, known as voluntary celibacy, is attracting more and more young women and is mostly not linked to religious reasons. Social media and the use of hashtags as celibacy either volcel –term that brings together the word voluntary (voluntary) and celibacy (celibacy)-, influencers and artists of the stature of Rosalía – who stated on the Radio Chica podcast of Radio Primavera Sound: "We no longer make room for crushesThat fantasy that leads nowhere is over. Right now, I... single, volcel"They have contributed to making the issue visible, since we can talk about it without taboos and give it a name. "It's part of a new way of referring to something that probably already existed, but that is now fashionable and that we have redefined," argues Sánchez Bendahan.

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