Lottie (Lower V) and Sophia (Lower IV) were both shortlisted for the prestigious John Locke essay prize. In addition, Sophia was highly commended, one of only 18.6% out of over 63,000 entries.

Lottie researched why people continue to use smartphones even when their use is detrimental. She concluded that a range of factors, including psychological impulses, hormone boosts and design which deliberately incorporated addictive features, contributes to our reluctance to put our phones down.

Sophia wrote on why we get more boring as we age. In good news for older readers, she concluded that we did not, and that in fact the concept of ‘boring’ was a cultural construct, varying with background, experiences and age. She also analysed how the media advanced stereotypes which resulted in certain sections of society being more likely to be perceived as boring.

Congratulations to both Sophia and Lottie on exceptional pieces of research!