Do you really know?

Ending up in tears when preparing a dish with onions can be pretty darn inconvenient. No sooner have you started chopping them up, you find your eyes getting watery and stinging. Of course, those tears aren’t related to any feelings of sadness; rather they’re down to a series of chemical reactions. Like a lot of fruit and veg we buy at the supermarket, onions are still technically alive when harve...

Society’s beauty standards constantly evolve, and sometimes in surprising ways. The terms "rodent man" and "hot rodent man" have gone viral on TikTok, racking up millions of views.  And the roots of those terms are pretty literal - they refer to men whose facial features are reminiscent of rodents like mice, rats or hamsters. I know, it might not seem like the most flattering of comparisons to sta...

In late March 2024, actor Pierre Niney took to TikTok to reveal his newest love affair—not with a co-star, but with an adorable miniature donkey he’s recently adopted. The tiny equine, fully grown yet no larger than a Labrador, has captured the hearts of his fans. Social media is full with clips of tiny cows, goats, and pigs lounging on couches, napping in laps, or trotting on leashes, especially...

According to data from Finder.com, the average Brit now spends 4 hours and 14 minutes using their smartphone each day. It’s hardly surprising; smartphone use has grown consistently over the last 15 years, to the extent that the devices have become almost like an extension of our arms and hands.  Given we tend to hold our phones out in front of us when using them, our heads bow down in quite an unn...

Overthinking can be a real cause of anxiety for some people. Have you ever struggled to get to sleep at night with all the thoughts running through your head? Does my new boss like me? Am I even cut out for this job? My kid just brought home a bad report card; are they going through a rough patch, or is it a sign of something more serious? Basically, your mind goes into overdrive and you feel like...

We’re surrounded by screens all day, right up until we go to bed. Our lives are intertwined with technology, from the smartphone alarms that wake us to the late-night emails we check. An Ifop study from April 2021 revealed a startling figure: 69% of those scrolling in bed battle with sleep disorders. And while we might think that a quick video or message thread could usher us into dreamland, the r...

It’s happened to most of us at least once. A condom breaks, it turns out the girl forgot to take her pill, or you got carried away and had sex even though you didn’t have any condoms. These things happen, but the aftermath can be anxiety-inducing for a number of reasons.  A World Health Organisation report from May 2024 said that sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomon...

You may remember that we talked about the Great Resignation a little while back on Do You Really Know. The trend saw millions of workers across the US quit their jobs in 2021 and 2022 in particular, with a similar pattern being seen in other Western countries too. Well it might have seemed like a great idea at the time for a lot of those resignees, but it hasn’t been all rosy for some of them sinc...

Imagine being drunk, without having drunk a single drop of alcohol, it seems completely implausible, and yet for some is a reality. South-West media shared the story of a motorist who appeared in court in Bruges in 2022 after being found to have too much alcohol in his blood twice in the same year. The man, in his forties, was eventually acquitted, proving that the tests were not the result of a n...

Pride Month 2024 is in full flow and this week, Do You Really Know brings you a week-long exploration of topics aimed at deepening your understanding of LGBTQI+ history and struggles. Initially dubbed as LGBT rights, they've undergone changes alongside the evolving language of identity.  The term "gay" alone became way too narrow to encompass the entire community, leading to the adoption of LGBTQI...

When choosing a holiday destination abroad, what factors do you take into account? Perhaps stunning landscapes, vibrant cultural scenes or enticing local cuisine. Well for some people it goes beyond that, and they have to think about to what extent they can be themselves without fear.  For many LGBTQI+ individuals, that’s an important consideration. As of 2024, homosexuality remains illegal in ove...

A global study by Deloitte, conducted early last year, uncovered that fewer than half of queer employees are comfortable disclosing their identity to all their colleagues. Although a majority sees the value in openness about their orientation, the ease of sharing this with the entire office is another story. On the other hand, in France, an April 2024 study by Ifop, in partnership with L’Autre Cer...

You’re probably familiar with the fact that June is Pride month, as it’s been the case for over 50 years now. And this week, we’re covering a range of topics that relate to Pride on Do You Really Know. But how did the choice of June as Pride month come about originally? To understand this, you need to go back to the origins of the LGBTQI+ movement. In New York in 1970, the very first pride march w...

Picture the scene: a woman is sitting in a bar, when a man comes up to try to talk to her. She finds him attractive, but acts disinterested and more or less ignores him, in order to not seem desperate. The man gives up and leaves the woman alone, but she then feels dissatisfied that he hasn’t persisted. It might seem like a counterintuitive approach, but according to American psychotherapist Ellno...

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, our mouths host no fewer than 700 species of microbes, including “germs like bacteria, fungus and more”. Some are helpful in producing vitamins, or aiding in digestion, for example, but others can cause problems like bad breath. Because many of these microbes live on the tongue, recent years have seen increased use of oral hygiene devi...

You know how sometimes you might indulge in a bit too much junk food, or maybe the kids aren’t acing their tests, or perhaps you’re navigating the single life? Hold up—before you start to worry, there’s a seemingly scientific explanation for all of it, and it points to one place: our brains. Neuroscience has become the go-to for decoding life’s issues, spanning medicine, economics, politics, and e...

We’re all aware of the physical risks associated with extreme heat, like dehydration and fainting for example. But a number of scientific studies have shown that heatwaves also have a major impact on people’s mental health. It’s important to highlight that the difference can be experienced by anyone, not just those with existing psychiatric conditions. But one thing is for sure: the vast majority...

We’re only a few weeks from the official start of summer, but you wouldn’t guess it given the wet conditions that we’ve seen for most of spring 2024. According to BBC News, March, April and May 2024 have all been among the wettest on record for their respective months. So don't put away your umbrella just yet! Beyond the obvious inconvenience of getting caught in a downpour, many people believe th...

In late April 2024, police chiefs from the UK’s National Crime Agency and 32 European countries issued a statement expressing their concerns about the use of end-to-end encryption by instant messaging services like WhatsApp. The statement recognised that E2E encryption protects users’ personal data, but emphasised that it also prevents authorities from identifying suspicious or illegal activities....

Olive oil, a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, boasts a rich composition of essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with polyphenols. These antioxidants are celebrated for their role in decelerating cellular ageing. Fatty acids, a pivotal component of lipids, include some that our bodies cannot produce, underscoring the necessity of sourcing them from our diets. Predominantly co...

Committing to a romantic relationship is by its very nature a significant transition in a person’s life. And that can often be a source of stress or conflict between two partners.  For example one partner might want to move in together, get married, or have a child, while the other simply won’t entertain the thought. For some people, fear of commitment is just a way to delay decisions. But for oth...

Research published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia suggested that there are nearly 3 million general anesthesia procedures in the UK each year.  You might already be aware that there are various different types of anesthesia: local, which numbs a small area of the body; regional, which numbs a larger part; and general, typically used for major or lengthy surgeries, where the patient is compl...

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...

Our brain, much like our muscles, benefits from its own form of exercise. Through dedicated training and stimulation, we can enhance our cognitive abilities, a testament to the remarkable phenomenon known as ‘neural plasticity’. Neural plasticity is the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganise itself. According to the Foundation for Brain Research, when we encounter a new concept, our br...

Slipping into sleepwear is an essential part of most people’s nighttime routine. We often do it when we’re winding down from a busy day, and it means it’s time to relax and get ready for sleep.  Whether you sleep in pyjamas, a nightgown, a t-shirt, or nothing at all, the goal is to avoid being too hot or too cold. You need to feel comfortable in loose-fitting clothes that don't constrict your body...