Studies show that ‘fear appeals’ – like the health warnings on tobacco – are effective in motivating behaviour changes. Capitalising on this, the Days of Life app encourages people to do their best by reminding them that their time is limited.

New technology allows people to ‘live on’ digitally and pop cultural icons are re-appropriating death in an increasingly candid manner. Jenny Winfield identifies a more relaxed Western approach to a traditionally awkward subject.

Facing a financial crisis, families are turning to simple ceremonies to say farewell to their loved ones, and in doing so, finding themselves liberated from the cultural taboos that surround death.

Crowned 'word of the year' by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013, the selfie has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a niche social media tag. But are selfies just a bit of harmless narcissistic fun, or is there a darker side?