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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

4:27

Why do you get a stitch in your side?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/04

You know the feeling: you’re running, cycling, or doing some other physical activity, and suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your side, just below your chest. It’s like someone is stabbing you with a needle, and it makes you want to stop and catch your breath. Although there is no precise definition of exactly what a stitch is, everyone knows how to recognise it. This pain, which often prevents you from breathing, walking or running properly, disappears a few minutes after you stop exerting

en

4:59

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/03

Cooking is a passion and hobby for a lot of people. They scour Pinterest for hours to pick the best recipe, dice their ingredients finely, let the food cook gently and even reuse leftovers in inventive ways. But for others, cooking is a hassle and a bother. Grocery shopping, the cooking itself and cleaning up all seems like a lot of effort. But maybe those people don't appreciate how cooking can actually benefit their mental health. In August 2023, Stylist.co.uk ran a feature on the mental health

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4:28

What is a “performative man,” this trend that has...

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/03

A matcha in hand… a tote bag slung over the shoulder… black nail polish neatly applied… a carefully styled mullet… and a copy of Sally Rooney peeking from his back pocket. That’s the look of the so-called performative man.In the past few weeks, this character has turned into a full-blown meme, with videos racking up millions of views. On the surface, he checks all the boxes of a deconstructed man. But in reality, he often represents a slickly packaged version of masculinity 2.0. What does that

en

4:28

What should I do with expired medicines?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/03

How many times have you come across expired pills in your medicine cabinet and wondered whether they we still safe to use? It’s pretty common, and often we consider using the medicine anyway, because we don’t have a prescription to get more, for example, or simply don’t want to waste what we already have. In early 2022, Censuswide conducted a survey on behalf of online pharmacist Chemist4U. It found that 36% of the UK residents surveyed said they had taken expired medicine in the past. That goes

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5:18

What are the health benefits of walking up stairs?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/03

Have you ever heard ot the stairs test? Experts say it’s an excellent gauge of a person’s overall health. The idea is to run up as many flights of stairs as your body allows you to. If you can’t manage two flights at a brisk pace, you may need to consider lifestyle changes to improve your health. Meanwhile if you can climb eight or more, the chances are you’re in excellent health already. But beyond being a good health indicator, taking the stairs is a fantastic way to stay in shape. It combines

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5:18

Is microwaving food bad for you?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/02

It’s been labelled a “marvel of engineering” and a “miracle of convenience” by Harvard Health Publishing. Data published by Statista in July 2022 showed that in 2018, 93% of UK households owned a microwave, a figure which had risen from 67% when the survey started back in 1994. But still some doubts persist about whether microwaving food is bad for your health. Some people even say they cause cancer. Rest assured they don’t. But there are a range of other complaints and concerns over food quality

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4:12

What is quiet hiring?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/02

After the emergence of ‘quiet quitting’, it's now the turn of quiet hiring. And although the term is relatively new, the practice is not. The term "quiet hiring" first appeared in the report "9 Future of Work Trends for 2023" published at the end of 2022 by Emily McRae, a philosophy professor in New Mexico, USA. She explains that this phenomenon follows on from the quiet quitting craze that emerged in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic which saw a huge wave of resignations sweep the country with

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5:16

Could you be micro-flirting without realising it ?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/02

There are plenty of ways to get the attention of someone you're crushing on. It might come very naturally to some, but for others, flirting can be an intimidating proposition. Have you ever wondered if someone is flirting with you, because of their somewhat ambiguous approach? Well, they may have been micro-flirting, a technique that dating experts say is used by shy men in particular. And there are actually some pretty recognisable under-the-radar strategies that qualify as micro-flirting, which

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4:48

Is intermittent fasting really effective?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/01

Intermittent fasting has been making waves, especially on social media, where it's often hailed as a miracle fix for weight loss. While it's no silver bullet, fasting can be an effective tool when part of a well-rounded lifestyle tailored to individual needs. Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that alternates between periods of fasting, usually 12 to 16 hours, and eating. Staying hydrated is key. The British Dietetic Association notes that this break can help regulate insulin levels and

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5:20

Is using cotton buds bad for your ears?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/01

Polish-American man Leo Gerstenzang is credited with inventing the humble cotton bud in the 1920s, an item which has since gone on to be used for many different purposes, having originally been thought up as a baby hygiene product.Yougov research from 2019 found that 62% of Brits use cotton buds to clean their ears, and 22% of us only use them for that purpose. That’s particularly true for men, given women are more likely to use them for touching up nail polish mistakes, or applying make up. But

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5:05

Is shaving too often bad for you?

Do you really know? ·

2025/11/01

There’s a lot of popular ideas out there about body hair removal. Shave too much and the hair becomes thicker. Wax, and it will gradually start thinning out. It can be hard to know who or what to believe. Both women and men increasingly spend a lot of their time and money removing body hair, even though it acts as a barrier to bacteria, and sexually transmitted diseases in the case of pubic hair. Shaving with a razor, using an electric epilator and waxing all have their own pros and cons. But

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4:29

What are some of the most common phobias?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/31

We’ve all got fears. For some, it’s the dark, for others, it’s spiders, heights, or maybe even something as ordinary as a phone call. But when those fears take root and are no longer reasonable; when they take over, that’s when they cross into the territory of phobias. Phobias remind us that our brains, for all their brilliance, aren’t always working in our favor and are flawed. According to a survey by Anxiety UK, there are ten phobias that show up more often than the rest. So what are these

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4:35

Why are we afraid of the dark?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/31

Fear of the dark is very common for children and usually starts between the ages of 5 and 10. At this age, children become more aware of the dangers around them. However, they often have difficulty correctly assessing just how real these dangers are. Usually, this fear disappears naturally as children gain confidence and grow up, but in rarer cases it may persist into adulthood. Principally, it is because darkness alters our main sense of reference: sight. This sense has taken over from the others,

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4:24

Why do we celebrate Halloween?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/31

Halloween is here and if you’re anything like us, you’ll be frantically doing some last-minute pumpkin carving or stocking up on sweets for trick-or-treaters. Maybe you’re going to a Halloween party dressed up as a ghost, witch or any other kind of spooky creature. But have you ever wondered where all these quirky customs came from? While Halloween seems like a very modern celebration, its origins actually go back well over 1000 years. It started out with an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain

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5:05

Why do we experience the unsettling "Uncanny Valley"...

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/30

In November 2023, a spooky makeup trend took TikTok by storm. Users posted images of themselves with full-coverage, pale foundation for a ghostly vibe, intense grey contouring, hidden eyebrows, and pencil-altered lips. The aim behind those creative efforts was actually to resemble humanoid creatures, and elicit a particular reaction known as “uncanny valley” from viewers. And the trend garnered a lot of attention. As of November 13th, Forbes reported that the #uncannyvalley hashtag had amassed 821

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4:53

Why do we enjoy being scared?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/30

Ghost stories told around a camp fire, visiting a haunted house or watching a scary film are all common Halloween activities. We clearly enjoy scaring each-other and feeling scared, even though it seems completely counter intuitive. There are a number of reasons for this, which we'll explore in the episode. Fear is an emotional response to danger, both real or perceived. Our body releases a mixture of adrenaline and cortisol and triggers our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response. It makes us more

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4:26

Why do I get an electric shock when I kiss someone?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/30

It's not uncommon for sparks to fly in unexpected ways during intimate moments; sometimes literally! You’ve most likely gone in to kiss someone only to get a small shock when your lips touch. You may have also noticed it tends to happen more often in winter. Have you ever wondered what actually causes these jolts of electricity between couples? Let’s unravel the science behind the mystery. Isn’t it all to do with having good chemistry? How does static electricity work? What’s the impact on our

en

5:25

Could the AI bubble burst sooner than expected?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/29

In economic terms, a speculative bubble refers to a situation in which the price of an asset becomes heavily overvalued. An asset could be anything from company shares and property to cryptocurrencies. But eventually, reality catches up. Investors begin to realise the asset isn’t actually worth as much as they thought, confidence fades, and many rush to sell. When everyone sells at once, prices collapse, leading to what’s commonly known as a crash. But what exactly is a speculative bubble? Have

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4:41

How can you protect yourself from being mugged?

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/29

Mugging is a form of robbery that involves violence or the threat of violence against a person in a public place. It’s also known as street robbery or personal robbery. However, would-be muggers have been foiled by a recent covert police operation in London which aimed at reducing street theft. Brave officers posed as potential victims by wearing expensive luxury watches to tempt thieves and hanging around in dangerous places, then when anyone attempted to steal the watches they were arrested by

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4:56

What causes tocophobia, the fear of pregnancy and...

Do you really know? ·

2025/10/29

According to the NHS, approximately 1,600 babies are born every day in the United Kingdom. But what often goes unspoken are the nine months leading up to this event—the periods of anxiety, doubt, and self-discovery that mothers inevitably experience. A study published in Evolution, Medicine & Public Health journal in April 2023, found that 62% of women grapple with a panic-inducing fear of pregnancy and childbirth. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as tocophobia. So, where does tocophobia

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