Do you really know?

Beauty standards are always shifting. Back in the '60s through the '90s, especially in the West, the ideal body for women was all about being slim, think long, lean silhouettes and flat bottoms. But by the late '90s and especially in the 2010s, that completely flipped. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj helped usher in a new trend, one that celebrates curves, especially a fuller derri...

When we talk about the Holocaust, most of us immediately think of death camps like Auschwitz or Dachau, chilling symbols of the Nazis’ “Final Solution”. But before they reached that level of industrialised brutality, the Nazis explored other ways to remove Jews from Europe. One plan, both absurd and terrifying, was to send all Jews to the distant island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. How on ea...

We've all experienced those gut feelings, hunches, or flashes of insight that seem to come from nowhere. But what exactly is intuition, and can it be explained? Even though scientists haven't yet unraveled all of its secrets, intuition isn’t as mysterious as we might think. One expert definition of intuition says that it is: "the universal ability to grasp information in a non-conventional way, ou...

Microwork is paid work which usually involves short and repetitive tasks carried out on a smartphone or computer. It could be identifying objects shown in an image, watching videos, labelling data, translating short sentences or recording one’s voice for example. It can also be charging electric scooters or taking photos of products for an app. It’s as simple as registering on a platform which act...

According to the World happiness report, of the 137 countries they include, the UK has fallen to 19th position. This follows a steady decline over the past few years although they are happier than Lithuania in 20th position and France in 21st position. As ever Finland has continued its winning streak and stays at number one just above New Zealand.  The report combines both subjective well-bei...

Figures from Cancer Research UK show that there are an average of nearly 57,000 new breast cancer cases detected each year in the country. It’s the most common form of cancer, accounting for 15% of all cases. While the vast majority of breast cancer cases are in women, there are actually around 370 diagnoses in men each year too. That’s right; men also have breast tissue around the nipples, so are...

Ever since the 1960s, the minimalist movement has been captivating art and interior design enthusiasts. It’s all about simplicity, emphasising a return to the essentials, and encouraging us to let go of our attachment to material things as far as possible.  If you tend to struggle with clutter in your home environment, the 12-12-12 method may just be able to help you counter that problem. It...

Girl Dinner is a TikTok phenomena though you would be hard pressed to find any recipes as it is more of a style of eating than anything specific. It’s a term used to describe a meal that consists of random snacks or leftovers, for example, you might have some cheese and crackers, a handful of grapes, a glass of wine and a few pickles for your ‘girl dinner’. Or maybe you just have some popcorn and...

Muscle pain generally occurs after an intense sports session. "They are due either to unusual muscular work, or to an increase in the intensity of a workout, or to the resumption of a sporting activity after a break". According to Sports coach William Chanconie. In fact, muscle soreness results from micro-lesions in the muscle fibres and signals that the muscle has been damaged.  When you fee...

The differences between girls’ and boys’ clothes can start surprisingly early even before adolescence. In 2022, a German data journalist and her team analysed more than 20,000 items of clothing for children under ten, sold by major online retailers. They found that, on average, girls’ clothes were six centimetres shorter than boys’  and much more likely to be close-fitting. But why, when youn...

Paracetamol, a staple in UK households, is widely available over the counter and commonly used to alleviate headaches, toothaches, joint pain, flu symptoms, menstrual pain, and fever. In the UK, paracetamol is one of the most frequently used painkillers. The British Medical Journal reports that from April 2022 to March 2023, 16 million prescriptions for paracetamol were dispensed in England alone....

Starchy foods should actually be part of every meal. They come in three groups: cereal-based foods like bread, rice and pasta; pulses and legumes like lentils, beans, and chickpeas; and of course, potatoes. However, some members of this food group have a notoriously high glycemic index.  What is a glycemic index? So does this mean we should avoid starchy foods? Is cooling the only way to...

It's pretty common these days to have to tackle several things at once, like responding to an email while on a work call. Our constant pursuit of productivity leads us to mix various activities simultaneously, whether it's at work, home, or even at school for kids. This blending of at least two tasks at the same time is commonly known as multitasking. When you focus on something that you’re doing...

Single women in your late 20s or early 30s, has anyone ever suggested that you absolutely must find a partner or you’ll end up being a “cat lady”? What an annoying, not to mention ignorant, stereotype, right? It might be tempting to explain all that to the person saying it, but do they really deserve your attention? Let’s talk about where the cat lady character actually comes from. Isn’t there a ‘...

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...

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...

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...

Everyone has lied at least once in their life. But did you know that we lie at least once a day? This surprising conclusion comes from an American study published in 1996. The reasons behind our lies are quite intriguing. Often, we lie to protect the people we care about, this is known as a “white lie.” But that’s not the whole story. According to neuropsychologist and researcher Sylvie...

Water footprint matters because scientists have calculated that the climate crisis makes drought 20 times more likely, while the UN predicts that demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% by 2030.  You might think that you only use water when you drink, cook, wash, or flush the loo, but actually, you use much more water than that. According to Water UK, the average person in the U...

You may well have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you shouldn’t skip it. But did you know that prior to the industrial revolution, all people would eat for breakfast was leftovers from the previous day, typically meat and eggs. Even then that was only if they were hungry. Otherwise they wouldn’t eat at all. These days, a typical breakfast in the Western world is...

According to the British Coffee Association, we drink around 98 million cups of coffee per day in the UK. That’s around one and a half cups for every single person in the country! It’s said that drinking coffee in the evening or even late afternoon has a negative impact on sleep quality, but a lot of people do so anyway. Coffee contains various molecules, such as antioxidants and caffeine, which h...

There are plenty of common misconceptions out there about love: that opposites attract or that you should feel butterflies in your stomach immediately, for example. Another one is that women always fall in love first, and films often reinforce that last stereotype, portraying women as hopeless romantics while men, on the other hand, tend to do their best to avoid commitment. Are you saying it’s ac...

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 t...

Some theories in evolutionary psychology propose that men are better at spatial navigation than women due to evolutionary factors. In prehistoric times, men, as hunters, traversed long distances, while women stayed closer to the home.   This difference supposedly led to natural selection favouring genes in men associated with better spatial navigation skills. However, these theories...

Being overweight is a stigma. While around 13% of the world’s population are obese, they are largely absent from the public limelight and often find themselves the target of mockery or discrimination. Overweight people are humiliated and ostracised throughout their lives, having to put up with regular criticisms about their lifestyle and appearance. This is what’s known as fatphobia, a form of dis...