Do you really know?

Have you noticed more of your friends talking about their star signs of late? Maybe they try to guess the sign of people they meet, or come out with unexpected references to “Mercury in retrograde” or “Saturn return” over dinner. Maybe you’re into it yourself; and you have an app which sends you horoscope notifications all day long. It wasn’t so long ago that most people would just read horoscopes...

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...

At a time when Europe faces a "baby bust," the role of children in public spaces is sparking new debate. Increasingly, restaurants, hotels, and even tour operators are rolling out “adults only” policies. Gone are the sounds of crying babies or kids running around tables, but this shift raises questions about individualism in society. In recent years, child-free options have doubled globally, with...

Digital sobriety is all about reducing the ecological footprint of our daily digital lifestyles. That’s right, using your cell phone, PC or connected refrigerator all contributes to pollution. And it’s on the rise. The transition to digital technology is often presented as being a positive evolution, especially with regards to reducing household energy consumption. But current practices are contri...

A power nap is a short sleep which is long enough to give an energy boost, but not so long that you enter deep sleep. The term was coined by American social psychologist James Maas, a professor at Cornell University. Science shows that power naps could be of benefit to employees in the workplace, where efficiency is key. Sometimes, a power nap lasts just a few seconds, in which case it’s referred...

Knowing the difference between right and left is crucial for various daily activities like driving and navigation. While most of us take this skill for granted, a significant portion of the population faces challenges with it. A study published in 2020 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology estimated that one in six adults struggles to distinguish their right from their left. Of course, if you...

You may have seen it on the news, on social media, or even on the tube: hundreds of people riding the underground with no trousers on, in the middle of winter. On Sunday the 7th of December London commuters braved the cold to strip off to their underwear for this unusual event. The No Trousers Tube Ride, as it is officially called, is an annual event that takes place on the first Sunday of January...

A lot of things happen to our bodies when we fall in love. Some of the obvious physical reactions are getting butterflies in the stomach, dilated pupils and a racing heartbeat. Another one that many of us have experienced is losing our appetite.  You know the feeling: you're so smitten with your new crush that you can barely eat a bite. You skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and instead spend hour...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. You might have heard of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ a motto with the aim of encouraging us to think about how we consume and consider the imp...

In June 2025, the Met Office announced that the UK had had its warmest spring on record, with a mean temperature of 9.5°C, beating the previous mark set just a year prior in 2024 and exceeding the long term average by 1.4°. It’s becoming increasingly important to adapt to periods of extreme heat, and one way to make stiflingly hot days more bearable is to adjust what you eat. What should be avoide...

The number of free-to-use ATMs in the UK has been steadily declining, with a 6% drop from 2022 to mid-2023. This reflects a shift in consumer habits, as cash usage has decreased significantly. For example, weekly ATM withdrawals fell by nearly a third, from £2.2 billion in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2023. The shift began years ago but accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, cash accounted...

They buzz around your fruit salad, hover over your barbecue, and seem to think the edge of your pool is their hangout. Every summer, it’s the same story - wasps turning your outdoor bliss into a swatting frenzy. But it doesn’t have to be this way; there are ways to keep them at bay.  There are gentler, and smarter ways to make them buzz off. Essential oils are a great place to start. Scents like l...

Each of us has our own unique experience of social bonds, influenced by our childhood, previous relationships, and personality. And there’s actually a psychological theory that helps explain how we experience our relationships: attachment theory. In psychology, attachment is the strong bond between an individual and an "attachment figure." In most cases, our first attachment figure is the parent w...

Some people believe they simply can’t function in the morning until they’ve had a cup of coffee. Others seem to be grumpy every morning, as if they’ve got out of the wrong side of the bed.  Of course, a poor night’s sleep can be the cause, whether it be down to stress, not getting to bed early enough, drinking or other physical conditions like sleep apnea. Psychological factors can also come into...

Voluntourism is the practice of volunteering one’s labour to a charitable cause in a developing country, in return for a soul-cleansing, perspective-changing, CV-bolstering experience. Perhaps a bit cynical? But with good reason.  Whilst it could be a mutually beneficial redistribution of wealth from the developed world to the developing, voluntourism harbours a dark and exploitative underworld. I...

If just thinking of spiders is enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, or you jump any time you see one, the chances are you suffer from arachnophobia. It affects up to 15% of people according to the Cleveland Clinic, making it one of the most common phobias out there. As it turns out, human fear of spiders may well be down to evolution. Researchers from Germany, Austria and Sw...

Warm summer nights often bring unwelcome guests into our homes in the form of mosquitoes. For now we fortunately don’t have any mosquito-borne diseases being transmitted to humans in the UK, but with the warmer temperatures brought on by climate change, it may only be a matter of time until that changes. You may have noticed that some of us seem to attract more mosquito bites than others, even wit...

It's back to school! Do You Really Know is dedicating a special week to sport. Because moving and doing regular physical activity is important for our physical and mental health! Listen again to our episodes about sport! One of the biggest challenges that we have been facing and will be continuing to face in the coming years is protecting our planet. So it’s worth reflecting on how we can exercise...

Flying is far from being the most eco-friendly means of transport. Right now it’s responsible for around 2% of global carbon emissions, but that could grow to as high as 16% by 2050. With the notable exception of travel restrictions in the last two years, the airline industry has gradually been transporting more and more passengers for decades now. While that continued growth is impressive, we hav...

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stepped down from his position as the company’s CEO to focus on other projects. He’ll remain executive chairman at Amazon but now wants to dedicate more time to other projects, including his space tourism company Blue Origin.  Following that surprise announcement, British business magnate Richard Branson also declared his desire to go into space with his company Virgin Ga...

To understand where white spots come from, we must first explain how nail growth works. If you’ve ever had white spots on your nails before, you may have been dismissively told that it's down to a lack of calcium or zinc. Basically, some mineral-deficiency. But this popular belief doesn’t really have any basis in fact. According to Healthline, nails grow an average of 3 millimeters per month. Thei...

Summer is here! The sun’s out; you’ve got a week or two off work and the beach and sea are calling. It’s time to relax, soak up some much-needed vitamin D, and why not open the door to new romantic encounters. That’s all well and good if you’re single; but if you’re in a relationship, bear in mind that summer shading is becoming more and more common. It basically means putting a romantic relations...

This summer, relax and learn with Do You Really Know! It's time to learn all about the concepts, words and expressions that surround the summer season! What is vitamin D? Vitamin D was discovered in 1922 by American biochemist Elmer McCollum, who was nicknamed Dr Vitamin by Time Magazine. He found that cod liver oil could still prevent rickets in rats, despite its vitamin A having been removed. Fr...

The musical film The Little Mermaid was released in cinemas on 24 May 2023. This movie highlights the importance of representations in the media. This effect has a name: the Scully Effect. The combination made for an unprecedented representation of women on TV at the time, with audiences far more accustomed to seeing scientists played by white men. The fields of Science, Technology, Engineering an...

You’d think a day spent lounging on the beach would be the ultimate recharge. No deadlines, no emails, just rest and relaxation. And yet, by the time you head home, you’re wiped out. Not just relaxed, completely drained. It's supposed to be restful, so why does it feel like you’ve just run a marathon in flip-flops? It’s not just the sun, it’s the heat, the humidity, and the work your body puts in...