Do you really know?

According to an August 2023 report by human resources company MBO Partners, the number of Americans considering themselves digital nomads increased by 131% between 2019 and 2022. That means they can travel worldwide while staying connected to their work wherever they are. The Covid-19 pandemic led to remote work being normalised, when it had already been growing thanks to factors like globalisatio...

When it comes to health, it’s clear that gender differences play a significant role. It's now recognized that the occurrence of diseases, their onset age, symptoms, severity, and even responses to medications differ between men and women. The question of whether men and women perceive pain differently has been a topic of scientific discourse for quite some time. It’s an important matter too, as it...

Lemon water is a popular drink that many celebrities and wellness gurus swear by. But is it really as good as they claim? Or is it just another fad that has no scientific basis? Lemon water has been linked to several health benefits, such as hydration. Drinking enough water is essential for your overall health, as it helps prevent dehydration, which can cause fatigue, headaches, dry skin, and cons...

As thunderclouds gather and winds intensify, the decision to shut off the power becomes a critical one, balancing safety concerns with the practicalities of daily life. The risks associated with electrical installations depend on the location of your home. For example, the consequences are more severe if your home is in a rural or mountainous area, for a number of reasons. Lightning poses a signif...

Are you someone who thrives on making decisions at work, or do you prefer to take a back seat and let others have the final say? Decisions can be a source of anxiety, even for those who generally like making them. That's especially true when the sheer quantity of decisions to be made adds up, and you've got a limited amount of time in which to make them. That happens frequently to people working i...

According to a Michael J Fox Foundation survey from 2013, 65% of Americans believe that ushumans use just 10% of our brains. That’s not really a surprise when you consider that the 10% figure has been quoted a lot over the years. Medical News Today says that it was referenced in 1936 by American writer Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Since then, it's been repeate...

Have you ever seen the Black Mirror episode called "Be right back"? It aired back in February 2013 and sees a character called Ash die in a car accident, leaving behind his pregnant wife Martha. During Ash's funeral, Martha’s friend Sarah tells her about a company which creates AI versions of dead people, by using personal data they had shared online. Initially reluctant, Martha eventually caves i...

You might try to avoid them whenever you can, opting for the lift or the escalator instead. But did you know that stairs can actually super-charge your fitness in seconds? In fact, climbing stairs has so many benefits for your health and well-being that you might want to rethink your attitude towards them.  Climbing stairs is a vigorous-intensity physical activity that increases your heart rate an...

An IPSOS study from late 2020 found that 45% of people across the world were trying to lose weight at the time. In many cases, losing weight is beneficial for health, but a lot of the time, people want to achieve unrealistic body images which are projected by the media as being ideal. Of course, a popular way of doing so is by dieting, but the subject of today’s episode is pretty much the opposite...

It’s common knowledge that autumn often sees people put on weight. But if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, there are some foods you can rely on to boost metabolism and thereby improve calorie burning. That’s because they increase thermogenesis, which is the production of heat in the body. That in turn stimulants our metabolism, forcing the body to use energy from its fat reserves. There are th...

A time optimist is someone who is overly optimistic about how much time they have to do something, and therefore often ends up being late or missing deadlines. They tend to underestimate how long tasks will take, overestimate how much they can accomplish in a given period, and ignore potential delays or interruptions. They may also have a distorted perception of time, losing track of how fast it p...

Nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas, is sold in metal canisters and is one of the most commonly used drugs by teenagers and young people. However, heavy use can lead to a host of problems. Prof Alastair Noyce, a consultant neurologist at Queen Mary University of London, told BBC News: "These are young people we are seeing - teenagers and people in their 20s. What's striking now is t...

Have you ever found yourself experiencing emotions like anger, frustration, or even affection towards your therapist? On the surface, it may seem like a surprising thing to happen. After all, you don't know much about their personal life, and there's no obvious reason for having such feelings. Fear not though; this happens more frequently than you might think; it’s actually pretty common. When you...

"Wrap up warm, or you'll catch a cold!" No doubt you heard that advice a lot as a child, and you may well still hear it as an adult. For a long time, scientists were skeptical about the idea that simply being exposed to the cold could make a person sick. After all, to get sick, you need to actually come into contact with a microbe, like a virus. And cold weather itself isn't a disease. But recent...

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the relationship many white-collar employees have with work. And that’s particularly true when it comes to remote work; which some of them now see as a non-negotiable. And a lot of other employees have made it clear they don’t want to return to full-time office life. Nevertheless, many CEOs were keen to get their staff back int...

Revenge porn is the intentional sharing of private sexual content, without the consent of the person in that content. It could be explicit text messages, photos or videos, for example. Revenge porn hasn’t been around forever; it has grown with, and been facilitated by, the internet, smartphones and social media.  The humiliation and harassment that comes with it can cause severe emotional distress...

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 a...

When you die, your physical body may be gone, but your digital legacy lives on. Your digital legacy is everything you leave behind online, such as your social media accounts, emails, photos, videos, documents, and more. These may hold financial or sentimental value for you and your loved ones, but they can also pose some challenges and risks.  While most of us make a will stipulating what we want...

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 fo...

More and more people across the world are struggling with burnout. According to a Future Forum survey of over 10,000 workers from February 2023, as many as 42% of workers experience it, an all-time high. When signs of exhaustion emerge, the ideal solution is, of course, total rest, but it's often a luxury that few can afford. An alternative for preventing burnout is what's known as the "42% rule."...

People often refer to themselves as cat person or dog person, as well as  meaning that they prefer this animal to the other, it implies that they identify with certain characteristics associated with their preferred pet, dogs are loyal, cats are smart, dogs can be trained to help people, cats cannot and so on.  The social psychologist Samuel D Gosling of the University of Texas studied the persona...

According to a 2019 report from eharmony, a third of relationships had started online between 2015 and 2019, compared to just 19% in the preceding decade. The so-called “Future of Dating” also suggested that by the year, more than half of relationships will have begun online. Whether you're seeking a serious relationship or just a casual fling, there's something out there for everyone. As with any...

You've probably noticed that as soon as the back-to-school season ends, stores start filling their shelves with chocolates, garlands, and Advent calendars. For many of us, it feels like an early jump into the holiday spirit, even before we've figured out our Christmas plans. But beyond the sometimes overly eager marketing by big retailers, there might be some wisdom in getting a head start on your...

Climatologists and medical experts are in agreement about the detrimental impact of excessive meat consumption on both our environment and health. Industrial livestock farming is responsible for a significant 15% of global CO2 emissions, and it also raises ethical concerns regarding animal welfare. In light of these concerns, it recently emerged that UK meat consumption is at its lowest level sinc...

We talked about omplaphobia in a recent episode of Do You Really Know, which is the fear of belly buttons. Well the subject of today’s episode may make for awkward listening for anyone affected by that phobia. That’s right; we’re talking about belly buttons again. Now, be honest: when was the last time you washed your belly button in the shower? It’s commonly overlooked, but surprisingly it’s actu...