3 d. ago What does my love for impossibly difficult video games say about me?

From Demon Souls to Baby Steps, challenging games keep a certain type of player coming back for more. I wonder why we are such suckers for punishment• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereMost people who really love video games have the capacity to be obsessive. Losing weeks of your life to Civilization, World of Warcraft or Football Manager is something so many of us have experienced. Sometimes, it’s the numbers-go-up dopamine hit that hooks people: playing something such as Diablo or Destiny and gradually improving your character while picking up shiny loot at perfectly timed intervals can send some people into an obsessional trance. Notoriously compulsive games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, meanwhile, suck up hours with peaceful, comforting repetition of rewarding tasks.What triggers obsession in me, though, is a challenge. If a game tells me I can’t do something, I become determined to do it, sometimes to my own detriment. Grinding repetit...

Politics

5 d. ago Why do people love spicy food – even when it hurts to eat it?

Tearing up, sweating and other bodily functions are all signs that the body is trying to expel spicy foods as quickly as possible. But there is a simple reason why some people enjoy those sensationsThe first thing to understand about eating spicy food is that it really isn’t a matter of taste. Capsaicin, the active chemical in capsicum plants that are a key ingredient in anything you’d think of as “spicy”, evolved as an irritant to stop mammals from chewing and destroying plant seeds. It acts on the nervous system directly through receptors in the tongue, throat and skin – no taste buds required – and, in theory, tells our bodies that the thing we’ve just ingested is something to get rid of as soon as possible. The obvious question, then, is: why do some of us like the sensation so much?To start to understand that, it’s helpful to know a bit more about what’s going on in the body. “Think of an engineering brief where we have to detect irritants in a system and clear them rapidly,” s...

Politics

6 d. ago Russell Crowe clarifies girlfriend’s age difference after ‘fictional’ claims

‘If two people love each other, age doesn't matter,’ Oscar-winning actor says

Politics

6 d. ago Russell Crowe clarifies age difference with girlfriend after false claims

‘If two people love each other, age doesn't matter,’ Oscar-winning actor says

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Bike lanes are great – I hope these issues get resolved’: Rafael Escobedo de la Riva’s best phone picture

On a street in Tenerife, an architect spotted a graphic composition - and evidence of drivers resisting changeRafael Escobedo de la Riva was heading home from his office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife when he took this image. New bike lanes had recently been installed and it seemed to be taking drivers time to adjust. “There was some resistance and a lack of understanding by local people of this new way of moving around the city,” Escobedo de la Riva says.He took this image in the aftermath of one particular incident and knew instantly that he’d captured something special. Many people get the impression of a red and white lighthouse against a blue sea, but his interpretation is far more grandiose: “I was actually more reminded of the work of Russian constructivism from the early 20th century,” Escobedo de la Riva, an architect, says “the strong geometrical architecture and composition” drew him to the scene in the first place, adding that he would “love for people to be inspired to ...

Politics

1 week ago Why the anger with Billie Eilish? You’re not allowed to say what we all know about billionaires | Zoe Williams

The singer is giving away millions – but the parameters for criticising the super-rich are very narrow, and hardly anyone qualifiesWhat exactly happened with Billie Eilish at the Wall Street Journal Magazine Innovator awards last week? Look it up, and you have a perfect thumbnail of the modern information environment, its highs and lows. You can find out the exact words used by the event host, Stephen Colbert, as he introduced her and announced that the 23-year-old singer was giving away $11.5m (£8.8m) to fight food poverty and the climate crisis. You can find out the exact words she used after she took the stage. “We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than kind of ever, especially in our country,” she said. You can also get straight to the controversial bit. “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, bu...

Politics

1 week ago Why the anger with Billie Eilish? Because it’s against the rules to say what we all know about billionaires | Zoe Williams

The singer is giving away millions – but the parameters for criticising the super-rich are very narrow, and hardly anyone qualifiesWhat exactly happened with Billie Eilish at the Wall Street Journal Magazine Innovator awards last week? Look it up, and you have a perfect thumbnail of the modern information environment, its highs and lows. You can find out the exact words used by the event host, Stephen Colbert, as he introduced her and announced that the 23-year-old singer was giving away $11.5m (£8.8m) to fight food poverty and the climate crisis. You can find out the exact words she used after she took the stage. “We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than kind of ever, especially in our country,” she said. You can also get straight to the controversial bit. “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, bu...

Politics

1 week ago Western film Netflix viewers 'love' is so gripping people keep rewatching it

A film has been branded the "underrated" option on Netflix for a reason, as it's a film that seems to be overlooked, but some viewers admit they rewatch it often

Politics

1 week ago Experts reveal the ideal age to write a will – and it might be younger than you think

While writing a will might feel morbid, it will help protect the people you love when you die

Economics

2 w. ago Huntingdon train stabbings witness saw 'blood everywhere' as people screamed 'we love you'

Multiple people have been stabbed aboard a LNER train before it pulled into Huntingdon station. Police have arrested two men and numerous people are in hospital. Eye witnesses now share their horror

Events

2 w. ago 'My boyfriend's 46 years older and covers most bills but I'm no gold digger'

David, 74, and Shalon, 28, are in an age gap relationship, saying that they often have to defend their love because people assume that Shalon is just a gold digger

Politics

2 w. ago Gemma was the perfect best friend. She helped me through my break

In the depths of heartbreak after splitting from my partner of three years, I joined a small recovery group for people exploring patterns of love and attachment in the hope it could give me closure.

Politics

2 w. ago Brits love people tripping over plus mischievous pranks and funny animal videos

Kids saying the funniest things and toddlers accidentally dropping a naughty word (39%) also featured highly in the top 40 list of things guaranteed to make people chuckle

Politics

2 w. ago Trump's coy response as whispers grow of a secret third term plan

Donald Trump would 'love' to serve a third term, and people are looking into it, but one thing is for certain - he won't take a demotion.

Politics

2 w. ago 'People love my life as a vampire but there's something my fans don't know'

A woman who says she's a real-life vampire has made an admission about her life online, as she's confessed that everything may not be as it seems when she makes her ever-popular videos

Politics

3 w. ago Primark's £23 pyjamas 'look just like' £119 set from Ralph Lauren

People quickly fell in love with the cosy pyjamas that are 'screaming Christmas'

Economics

3 w. ago Brookside legend teases soap's future in 'people love it so much' admission

Brookside was revived for a one-off episode to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hollyoaks

Events

3 w. ago Can we keep antibiotics working? Yes, but the world needs to follow the EU and the UK | Devi Sridhar

Unless more countries drastically cut back on antibiotic use in food production, these vital drugs will lose their efficacy for humansWhat we’re putting into our bodies can either nourish us, or make us ill. With that in mind, I wrote recently about the role of food consumption in terms of the risk of colon cancer. But what about food production?Across the world, we are seeing the rise of cheap meat: largely driven by demand from a rising middle class who finally can afford beef, pork and chicken, which used to be out of reach, given their cost. Approximately 45% of global consumption growth is occurring in upper-middle-income countries including China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines. Poultry is set to take an increasingly large share of that growth (projected to grow by 21% by 2034), because it is relatively cheap, widely acceptable and requires fewer resources per kilogram compared with beef or pork. By 2034, it is estimated that poultry will provide 45% of the prote...

Politics

3 w. ago Beef, pork, chicken: the world loves cheap meat. If people knew what really goes in it, that love affair would be over | Devi Sridhar

Antibiotic use in farming is now rampant and you should care about that. How meat is produced in China may mean the drugs you need here won’t workWhat we’re putting into our bodies can either nourish us, or make us ill. With that in mind, I wrote recently about the role of food consumption in terms of the risk of colon cancer. But what about food production?Across the world, we are seeing the rise of cheap meat: largely driven by demand from a rising middle class who finally can afford beef, pork and chicken, which used to be out of reach, given their cost. Approximately 45% of global consumption growth is occurring in upper-middle-income countries including China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines. Poultry is set to take an increasingly large share of that growth (projected to grow by 21% by 2034), because it is relatively cheap, widely acceptable and requires fewer resources per kilogram compared with beef or pork. By 2034, it is estimated that poultry will provide 45% ...

Politics