Walking down a busy street or watching a TV drama, it often feels like every third word you hear is a swear word. While it’s tempting to think that taboo language has all but lost its power, nothing could be further from the truth, as a wealth of research shows that swearing, insults and hate speech hit the brain in a completely different way to more neutral language.

In our explainer on the social, psychological and neurological effects of profanity, Jon Andoni Duñabeitia explores the power these words have over us, and how they have evolved over the years. He also offers some fascinating insights into what words and concepts different cultures consider taboo. Be warned, this article does contain some rather coarse language.

This week saw the death of French far-right politician and convicted Nazi apologist Jean-Marie Le Pen. In addition to his family legacy, he leaves behind a Europe where his formerly extreme ideas have become well and truly normalised for many people.

Famous for their saunas, Nordic prisons have often been championed for their focus on restorative justice, but conservative “tough on crime” politics and increased sentences have put them under pressure in recent years. One especially stark detail for you: Denmark has resorted to renting prison rooms in Kosovo to take some of the strain off its own overcrowded system.

If you’ve been feeling that post-Christmas winter sadness really start to bite, just remember that simple things like counting your steps can help to keep the blues at bay. If you’re in France, you might even get prescribed a ketamine-derived antidepressant, though the jury’s still out as to how beneficial psychedelics really are in treating psychiatric conditions.