The literature assumes that intergroup contact is naturally occurring, positive and consistently associated with positive outcomes, but these premises are inconsistent with everyday intergroup contact experiences. In this Perspective, Paolini et al. propose that variations in contact valence and environmental affordances for self-selection influence segregation dynamics, leading to stable trajectories of contact and intergroup bias.

How numerical information is expressed in language shapes the mental processes that underlie numerical reasoning. In this Review, Berteletti and colleagues compare the impacts of spoken and signed languages on numerical cognition and detail how future work with signed languages can enrich understanding of these impacts.

Behavioural and psychosocial interventions can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In this Perspective, Burg et al. identify the elements and actions needed for a broad implementation of these interventions in standard cardiovascular care.

Public mental health monitoring requires a nuanced approach that reflects the dimensional nature of mental health disorders. In this Review, Kieling and colleagues describe a staged monitoring approach that could improve the logic, intensity and timing of public mental health decision-making.