Do you really know?

Smart devices can be very handy, but increasingly people are worried about exactly how smart they are, what they know and what they are doing with our data especially after a rogue Roomba ended up sharing embarrassing photos of one young woman on the toilet. Smart devices are electronic devices or gadgets that have the ability to interact, connect and share information with other smart devices. It...

As the sun sets on this rainy Sunday evening, reality sinks in. You didn't quite muster the energy to venture out, and now it's back to the grindstone. Tomorrow's Monday, signalling the return to work, and with it, a familiar wave of anxiety known as Monday morning syndrome, or the Monday blues.  It's not officially recognised by the medical community, but many people identify with those feelings....

Have you ever had a holiday coming up, and rather than being excited about it, you just can’t get over the apprehension and anxiety you get when you think about flying? And it only gets worse when you get to the airport, and onto the plane, doesn’t it? We’re talking clammy hands, a racing heartbeat, and a feeling of being constantly on-edge. Aviophobia, or an intense fear of flying, is actually on...

Coffee purists tend to look down on the likes of the latte, cappuccino and mocha, suggesting that only black coffee is the real deal. They often double down by saying that drinking coffee with milk causes bloating and messes with digestion. But a recent study from the University of Copenhagen found that it might actually be beneficial for our health, after all. How so? Is the link proven then? It...

Anyone who uses Tiktok knows that you can stumble across some pretty random stuff on there. I mean, all of us have our own algorithm-tailored For You page, but still the latest wacky trends tend to get served to us whether we’ve viewed similar content or not. The Broccoli Freckles trend is a case in point. Iif you haven’t already heard of it, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s got something t...

Members of Gen Z, when you were kids, you might well have had grand plans for your twenties – owning a house, landing a job, getting hitched, and having kids. But where are you now?  Are you a keen saver eyeing up homeownership, perhaps abiding by some of the methods we've talked about in the past on Do You Really Know?, like loud budgeting, cash stuffing or the 50/30/20 method? Or do you feel pow...

A lot of people think that morning erections are triggered by erotic dreams, or a need to pee, but in fact they're a physiological reflex linked to sleep. That’s right - they’re not dependent on sexual arousal at all. And in a somewhat similar way, women actually also experience increased blood flow to the clitoris during the night. Now, the scientific term for a nighttime erection is nocturnal pe...

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, her son Prince Charles became King at the age of 73. He inherited the many titles that his mother carried throughout her 70-year reign, one of which is the “Defender of the Faith”. That refers to his role as the supreme governor of the Church of England. In 2009, the Church of England stated it had over 26 million baptised members accoun...

April 2024 saw a couple in the south of France handed a one-year suspended sentence, and a ban from having pets, after they were discovered keeping 159 cats and seven dogs in their 860 sq foot apartment. According to BBC News, the “animals were discovered last year living in filth, many dehydrated, suffering from malnutrition or infected with parasites.”That shocking animal hoarding case seems to...

According to the British Association of Urinological Surgeons, somewhere between 20 and 30% of men experience premature ejaculation. But of those men, less than a quarter actually seek medical advice. That’s despite it being an issue that often takes a toll psychologically on the man and the relationship they have with their partner. If it's always been an issue, it's termed primary premature ejac...

As of March 2024, the UK inflation rate stood at 3.2%, well below the record levels that had been seen a year prior. But still the cost of living crisis is biting and grocery shopping is one of the areas in which prices rose the most across 2022 and 2023. Thinking of ways to save on groceries has become really important and we’ve got a special tip for all of you listening today. The 6-1 method com...

You might have heard that working out before eating helps burn more fat. It’s a common claim. Some say a fasted workout,  like heading out for a morning run before breakfast, boosts fat burning or even improves performance. On paper, it sounds appealing. Exercising without eating first seems a bit strange so why do it? So does it actually help burn more fat? Could exercising on an empty stomach be...

Clowns are supposed to make you laugh, but often can make you shudder. What is supposed to be a figure of fun is for many the stuff of nightmares. Coulrophobia —the irrational fear of clowns that’s surprisingly common. This has been reinforced by popular culture, and many horror film-makers know that a scary clown is the perfect recipe for thrills, resulting in them becoming an icon of terror. A s...

What do Serena Williams, Beyoncé, Henry Cavill, Ryan Gosling and Nicole Kidman all have in common? Well apart from being famous, they’ve all been the targets of transvestigations in recent times.  As you may have guessed, the term is a combination of "transgender" and "investigation." It’s actually a bizarre type of conspiracy theory which sees web users attempt to prove that certain famous people...

Many of us feel completely disoriented at times, and are afraid of getting lost, whether in the middle of the city, in the forest, when travelling or in the car. In an age where GPS reigns supreme, many of us have become overly reliant on technology. Yet, there’s a growing desire to hone our natural navigational skills and understand the brain’s role in guiding us. What we call our "sense of direc...

Research by productivity software provider Asana showed that 70% of knowledge workers experienced burnout in 2021. Now we’ve talked about the symptoms of burnout before on Do you Really Know. It's typically characterised by physical and emotional exhaustion at work, and considered a psychiatric condition. But in recent years, the younger generation has been reshaping workplace norms. Many young wo...

It’s a common habit to toss our jeans into the laundry after a single wear, but is that really necessary? Turns out, giving your denim a break from frequent washes might be a smarter move. Well, according to Medisite, washing isn’t always kind to your beloved blues. The key to maintaining your denim’s durability is a cooler, gentler approach: wash them inside out, at a low temperature, and with a...

Everyone has their own expectations when it comes to summer holidays. Regardless, you don't necessarily have to travel far to have a good time. At least, that's what 31% of British people think, according to research from TripAdvisor. That’s the proportion of people who plan to holiday exclusively in the UK this year. But for others, going on holiday is all about turning dreams of exotic destinati...

When it comes to health, many people wonder which type of wine can most easily be enjoyed without needing to worry about negative health consequences. First things first, I hate to be a party pooper but let’s be clear: there’s no kind of alcohol that is actually “good” for your health.  So red wine does contain some antioxidants, which have reported health benefits. But senior dietitian and Britis...

Assisted dying is the term used to describe the practice of helping a person who is terminally ill or suffering from an incurable condition to end their own life, usually by providing them with the means to do so, such as lethal drugs. It is currently illegal in the UK under the Suicide Act 1961, which makes it a criminal offence to assist or encourage another person to commit suicide. The maximum...

The subject of today’s episode is a form of technology that’s halfway between artificial intelligence and blockchain. What’s more, American technology consulting company Gartner included it in its list of the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2024. The word is a combination of "customer" and "robot." Gartner say that custobot systems are capable of autonomously negotiating and purchasing good...

You might think that working for the Queen or any other member of the Royal family is a glamorous and prestigious job, but not all positions within the British Royal Household are as glamorous as they sound. Some of them are downright weird, and some of them no longer exist. An exhibition opening in Kensington palace from March ‘Untold Lives: A Palace at Work’ hopes to bring to life these forgotte...

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...

Opening oneself up to love sounds pretty simple. And yet, many people say they want it while still protecting themselves without realising. You see, being open to love isn’t just about wanting a relationship because you fear being alone or because you long for connection. So what’s the real difference between wanting love and genuinely being ready for it? We often look for in love what we have los...

Anal sex has become more and more popular in recent years, and that’s true for young people in particular. In August 2022, The Guardian reported on a survey conducted by National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyle, which found that 28.5% of 16 to 24-year-olds were engaging in anal sex, up from a previous figure of just 12.5% from “recent decades”. Anal sex doesn’t come without its risks thou...