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PODCAST

Do you really know?

You’ve heard about it, but do you really know it? In 3 minutes, we help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. After listening, you will really know for sure.

education

All Episodes

4:50

Do I need to take vitamin D supplements?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/30

Vitamin D is known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, and it’s not for nothing. Our bodies make it from cholesterol when exposed to sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet B rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy needed for vitamin D synthesis to occur. Naturally, during autumn and winter, there’s less sunlight and government advice suggests that everyone should consider taking Vitamin D supplements during these seasons. In fact, most people are Vitamin D-deficient regardless of the season

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4:27

Why do we jump when we get scared?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/30

Whether you’re watching a horror film, or exposed to a sudden loud noise, all of us have jumped at some point when scared. The body’s response to getting startled is all too familiar: tense muscles, a racing heartbeat and a twitching neck, among others. But there’s still a lot of mystery behind the phenomenon. Jolting is actually a natural and adaptive defensive response that helps our bodies avoid what it perceives as an immediate threat. How often it happens and how intense the response is

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5:20

Why should you be happy to see spiders in your home?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/30

What's your relationship with spiders like? Some people are pretty terrified of them, and for many their first reaction is to grab something to squash them with. Most likely, encountering spiders at home is a regular occurrence, and they're actually more beneficial than you might think. Aren’t they dangerous though? What are the benefits of having spiders in my home then? Why do they come into my house? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click

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4:47

How does buckwheat improve your health?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/29

Most people know buckwheat as the flour used for pancakes or blinis. But it’s actually so much more than that! Even though it’s often used as a wheat alternative, buckwheat isn’t a cereal at all. It’s a flowering plant, and its seeds can be prepared in a ton of different ways. Plus, it’s got a whole load of nutritional benefits. Why is it good for you then? Does buckwheat have any other advantages over wheat? How can I get buckwheat into my diet then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your

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4:25

Does stress really cause grey hair?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/29

We’ve all heard the saying, "This is giving me grey hair!" But is there any truth to it? Actually, yes. Several scientific studies confirm that stress can speed up the process of hair turning white. One such study, published in the journal Nature in 2020, involved Harvard scientists who used mice to explore how stress affects hair pigmentation. What did they find? Is there any way to reverse this? What’s the takeaway? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes,

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5:25

How often should I cut my hair?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/29

For some, a trip to the hairdresser feels like a chore, while for others, it’s a refreshing boost. Either way, getting regular haircuts isn’t just a matter of appearance; it’s key to maintaining healthy hair and encouraging natural renewal. Cutting your hair doesn’t make it grow faster, as some people would have you believe, but it does make it stronger. Hair tends to wear out and thin, especially at the ends, due to friction from clothing. Getting a regular trim will prevent that and allow your

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4:59

How can I improve my posture in the office?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/28

Musculoskeletal disorders, like back pain and arthritis, are recognized as occupational diseases in Western countries which have a large office workforce. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive lists some of the causes of these disorders as repetitive work, particularly using the same hand or arm action, carrying out a task for a long time and working with display screen equipment.Pain or stiffness in the muscles, tendons, nerves, back, wrists or neck can appear little by little when certain office

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4:39

Have you ever looked in the mirror and not recognized...

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/28

Depersonalization, a dissociative psychological syndrome, can be incredibly destabilising. It often takes years for sufferers to identify it. Characterised by altered self-perception, individuals may feel dead, detached, or anaesthetised. They might not recognize themselves in the mirror and struggle to distinguish between reality and a dream. According to Stanford University School of Medicine, this rare phenomenon affects only 2% of the global population. This unsettling experience leads to

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5:15

Why should you pee after having sex?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/28

I don’t know about your love life, but let’s be honest; for most people having sex doesn’t work out as smoothly as what you see in the movies. Not only is the act itself idealised, but so is what comes after. On screen, you tend to see couples snuggling and drifting off in each other's arms, all cosy and serene. But what movies tend to skip over is the part where you have to slip out of bed with your legs pressed together, and waddle like a penguin to the bathroom to pee and wash up. OK, it might

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4:46

How often should you wash your bedsheets?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/27

We spend a lot of time in bed and there is nothing nicer than snuggling up in clean fresh sheets but apparently not everyone feels the same. According to a survey commissioned by Pizuna Linens of over 2 thousand people in the UK it was discovered that 45 percent of single men are happy to wait up to four months to wash their sheets with a horrifying 12 percent only doing it ‘when they remembered’ so who knows how long they wait! Women were shown to have higher standards of hygiene with 62

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4:40

Are you an “ambivert”?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/27

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Or maybe a bit of both? While introverts often need solitude to recharge and feel more comfortable alone, extroverts thrive on interaction, seeking out social situations and sometimes feeling uneasy in isolation. These two categories are often seen as opposites, but experts at psychologue.net suggest that personality traits actually exist on a spectrum. This means that introversion and extroversion can coexist, and many people identify with aspects of

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5:31

Could precrastination be affecting your productivity?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/27

“The enemy of success”; “the thief of time”; “the grave in which opportunity is buried”. Those are just three ways in which procrastination has been described in the past. And according to IE University, “several studies have linked procrastination to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and overall poor mental health.” You may remember a while back we ran an episode on how to beat procrastination. But what about going to the complete other end of the scale? You complete all your tasks immediately

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4:26

What are the dangers of the BBL?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/26

Beauty standards are always shifting. Back in the '60s through the '90s, especially in the West, the ideal body for women was all about being slim, think long, lean silhouettes and flat bottoms. But by the late '90s and especially in the 2010s, that completely flipped. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj helped usher in a new trend, one that celebrates curves, especially a fuller derriere. To achieve this look, some people turn to cosmetic surgery. And there’s one procedure in

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4:50

Does music really make us more productive?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/26

LoFi, short for "Low Fidelity," it blends elements of jazz with hip-hop rhythms, creating a relaxing soundscape. This genre has gained immense popularity, in part due to the YouTube channel *Lofi Girl*, which, as of October 2024, boasts over 14 million subscribers. The channel offers a 24/7 livestream of LoFi tracks designed to serve as ambient background music. Research on this topic offers mixed insights. According to BBC Science Focus, one study conducted in a textile factory found that

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4:18

What is the ‘Yes Man’ Technique?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/26

Ever feel like a grey cloud is hanging over you? Life seems a bit gloomy, and your days are dull. You’re craving a change, but you’re stuck in a rut. Well, there is good news and the solution might be much closer than you think. Sometimes, all it takes is tweaking one or two elements of your day to transform your life. Enter the ‘Yes Man’ technique. Where does it come from? Should You Say Yes to Everything? What’s the Point? What are the Limits? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To

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4:41

Why do we sneeze?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/25

We’ve all become a lot more self-conscious about sneezing since COVID-19 came along. Whether you’re out in the street or worse in crowded public transport, sneezing gets you more concerned looks than it did before, and people tend to keep their distance. On top of that, we now all better understand how sneezing works. That’s right, by sneezing we propel micro-droplets of mucus potentially full of germs into the air. Indeed, MIT research showed that the mist of mucus and saliva released by a sneeze

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5:05

Can men get breast cancer?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/25

Figures from Cancer Research UK show that there are an average of nearly 57,000 new breast cancer cases detected each year in the country. It’s the most common form of cancer, accounting for 15% of all cases. While the vast majority of breast cancer cases are in women, there are actually around 370 diagnoses in men each year too. That’s right; men also have breast tissue around the nipples, so are also potentially susceptible. As we near the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let’s take a moment

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5:07

Could "mouth taping" really help me sleep better?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/24

Mouth taping involves putting tape over your mouth. It's supposed to improve your sleep by forcing you to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth. Regular listeners will be aware that we’ve discussed a number of Tiktok trends on this podcast. Not long ago, we covered the Blackout challenge after it led to the tragic deaths of a number of young children. As of yet the mouth taping trend we’re talking about today thankfully hasn’t claimed any victims, at least as far as our web searches tell

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5:18

What was the Nazis' Madagascar Plan?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/24

When we talk about the Holocaust, most of us immediately think of death camps like Auschwitz or Dachau, chilling symbols of the Nazis’ “Final Solution”. But before they reached that level of industrialised brutality, the Nazis explored other ways to remove Jews from Europe. One plan, both absurd and terrifying, was to send all Jews to the distant island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. How on earth did the Germans come up with that idea? What happened for the plan to take off in 1940? Why didn’t

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4:27

What is jeffing?

Do you really know? ·

2025/09/24

Ever found yourself swearing off sports after a grueling session, plagued by aches and pains, or feeling like you’re always lagging behind? Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned athlete, jeffing might be the solution for you. Developed by American athlete Jeff Galloway in the 1970s, this method aims to keep athletes of all levels in shape without overexertion. How does it work? How can this method be accessible to everyone? How does it boost morale? In under 3 minutes, we answer your

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