Do you really know?

In past episodes of Do You Really Know, we’ve talked about the best holiday destinations in the UK and abroad, as well as how to find the most budget-friendly options. Today though, we’re going to talk about security.  The idea of visiting many countries all over the world is enticing, but it's important to remember that some destinations are significantly more dangerous than others. Rather than m...

Whether it’s reading, journaling, enjoying breakfast, or scrolling through social media, these are just a few activities people indulge in while lounging in bed. For some, this has evolved into an art form, popularized by a viral TikTok trend known as “bed rotting.” This habit embodies a laid-back attitude, where productivity and responsibilities are momentarily cast aside in favor of a few minute...

Multitasking, or the art of juggling several tasks at once, is more common than ever before in the workplace. In 2022, a German think tank called Next Work Innovation released a study which showed that knowledge workers are interrupted on average every four minutes during the working day! In a past episode of Do You Really Know, we discussed how our brains manage to cope with multiple demands at o...

During summer holidays, many of us experience the discomfort of motion sickness while travelling by car, coach, plane, or boat. motion sickness is Also known as kinetosis and it’s particularly common in children but can also affect a lot of adults. According to the US government’s Medline Plus portal, one in three people are prone to it. Symptoms include paleness, cold sweats, dizziness, a feeling...

Is there anyone in your phone contacts who only seems to text you when they need something? It might be a nice surprise at first when you see their name on your notifications, but then when you read the content of their message, the real reason for them reaching out becomes obvious. You just know that once you give them what they need, it won’t take long for them to disappear again. If this friend...

Losing belly fat is a common health and wellness goal. The fat we consume in excess is stored in specialized cells called adipocytes, and its distribution varies between men and women. For men, it’s more likely to accumulate on the belly, while for women, it tends to be on the thighs, buttocks, and hips before migrating to the belly at menopause. Regular physical activity, especially exercises tha...

You might assume that belief in the paranormal is limited to the fringes of society. After all, according to science, ghosts don’t exist; or at least, their existence has never been proven.   But despite this lack of evidence, a significant proportion of people still claim to believe in ghosts. Within the last decade, Yougov polls have suggested that’s true for a third of Brits and 40% of American...

Most productivity methods aim to boost your efficiency during office hours. But a new technique, based on your biological clock, might be the key: chronoworking. The term was coined by British journalist Ellen Scott in early 2024 in her newsletter “Working on Purpose.” She predicted that working according to your body clock would be a major trend. Chronoworking means tuning into your natural energ...

The NHS says that one in seven couples may have difficulty conceiving, which can be a traumatic experience for those who want to have children. Sometimes, infertility can be treated through medicine or surgery, and other times assisted conception through artificial insemination or IVF helps those couples get pregnant. But other times, it just doesn’t work out and a couple aren’t able to have a chi...

Condoms are the best protection out there against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies! And you can get them for free on the NHS from sexual health clinics, some GP surgeries and pharmacies, and some young people’s services. But many people wonder how to find the right size for them or their partner, for max comfort, safety and pleasure. What are the risks of using a condom tha...

According to Compare the Market research from November 2023, 69.5% of UK drivers say they experience road rage, with 12% admitting it happens to them once a week or more. Maybe you've witnessed road rage before as a passenger in a friend or family member’s car. You get in, everything is going smoothly, and all of a sudden another driver tailgates them or fails to indicate in front of them. From on...

We know that palm oil cultivation isn’t great for the environment, but it’s also not the best for our health. Despite this, palm oil production continues to soar, reaching a record 77.5 million tonnes in 2023, primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia. It’s the most consumed vegetable oil globally. The main reason is its cost-effectiveness. This vegetable fat is derived from  the fruit of oil palm tre...

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” goes the popular tongue twister, based on a song written in the 1920s by American musicians Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert A. King. And ice cream is indeed the perfect cold treat for a hot summer’s day, isn’t it? Except when it gets too cold! Sometimes, with the very first mouthful, the sudden chill of brain freeze rushes to your head, ca...

Many men feel self-conscious about the size of their penis, and it’s often down to constant comparisons with other men, driven by pornography. Interestingly, some men have noticed that their penis appears bigger during warmer weather, and online discussions of this have led to the phenomenon becoming known as "summer penis." Is there any basis to those claims though? Just how much bigger can it ge...

Beauty standards evolve over time, often influenced by social media. While beauty is typically associated with femininity, men are also subject to these pressures. Enter looksmaxxing, a new trend on TikTok where men strive to meet certain beauty standards, often to dangerous extremes. This trend, which borders on the masculinist movement, involves men doing everything they can to enhance their phy...

Brits have just experienced the hottest June on record, according to the Met Office. The average mean temperature across the UK was 15.8°C, nearly a full degree higher than the previous record. July is also expected to be hotter than average, and a heatwave isn’t out of the question. So it’s important to be prepared for high temperatures, especially at home. What is the ideal temperature to have a...

Social media has been part of our daily digital lives for nearly two decades now, and while there are plenty of positives associated with it, there’s also an undeniably dark side. Recent years have brought to light the sometimes traumatic work experience of social media moderators who have to review content that’s flagged as potentially harmful or offensive. Back in 2018, German directors Hans Blo...

Have you ever found yourself laughing at a completely inappropriate moment? If so, you know just how embarrassing it can be. And it gets even worse when you make eye contact with someone else and they start laughing too. It then becomes twice as hard to stop. Much like a strong flu, a powerful and genuine laugh can quickly spread to an entire group! When someone starts laughing spontaneously, thei...

According to The Telegraph, Brits eat an average of 220g of meat per day, which is almost double the global average. And agriculture is responsible for 12% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions according to government figures from 2022.  So it’s clear that our food consumption can have a real impact on the environment. While red meat is often labelled as the worst offender environmentally, in reali...

Do you consider yourself a clumsy person? For some of us, accidents just seem to happen more often than for others, despite our best efforts to be more attentive and focused. We might drop and smash a glass in the kitchen or bump into things while walking along the street for example; and it can really get frustrating when that kind of thing happens over and over. And in actual fact, it’s not just...

In January 2024, the renowned French perfumery Guerlain is set to unveil a groundbreaking range of products inspired by quantum physics. Their marketing promises a revolutionary approach to skincare, stating: "After 20 years’ research, Guerlain has created Orchidée Impériale Gold Nobile, revealing a new cosmetic rejuvenation pathway for skin, born of quantum science.". In layman’s terms, Guerlain...

Have you ever been terrified of finding your dog munching on an Easter egg or chocolate treat during the holidays? It’s the kind of thing that can turn a wonderful occasion into a potential disaster. Of course chocolate is a delightful treat for us humans, but it can be extremely harmful to your furry friend, and even fatal in extreme cases. They don’t process the components of cocoa like we do, e...

The clitoris is the only organ in the human body that’s dedicated solely to pleasure. It doesn’t have any muscles or play any role in the body's other functions. And while our understanding of the clitoris has improved in recent years, there's still a lot to learn, as research in this area is relatively new. Until recently, researchers thought that the clitoris had 8,000 nerve endings. For compari...

It’s known that to beat the heat and avoid dehydration, we need to drink plenty of water. But while some reach for a hot cuppa, others swear by ice-cold beverages, and while this may give you an instant feeling of chill it's sadly just fleeting. The reason being is that our bodies work hard to keep our core temperature steady at around 37°C. So while a cold drink might feel refreshing, it actually...

It’s common knowledge that having plants in your home is incredibly beneficial. They reduce carbon dioxide levels, purify air, reduce dust, and can even dampen noise. Not to mention, how pleasant and soothing they are to look at. But alas, not everyone is blessed with a gardener’s green thumb! Do you feel like your indoor plants just can’t survive more than a few months, despite your best efforts...