Do you really know?

Talk of energy has been storming the headlines recently. A long, cold winter is approaching and prices are soaring, due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict... Russia has long been Europe’s main energy supplier, but reducing dependence on Russian energy has now become critical, with many countries putting sanctions or boycotts in place. Meanwhile Russia stands accused of sabotaging gas pipelines...

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...

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! With many types of personal goals, actually doing the task is only part of the battle. Being mentally prepared is also hugely important and can sometimes be overlooked. Sports and...

In the UK, owning a home is still seen as a key sign of financial stability. For many, it means security against life’s uncertainties - job loss, illness, or income drops and a way to build long-term wealth instead of paying rent. Today, according to the comparison site Finder the average age of a first-time buyer is just under 34. In London, it’s closer to 35. That’s several years older than in t...

When it comes to what counts as being unfaithful in a relationship, everyone has their own definition. Some might say that only physical contact with another person is cheating, whereas others will argue that even a mildly flirtatious conversation is unacceptable. That's where the concept of micro-cheating comes into play. Micro cheating refers to seemingly minor actions that suggest a person is e...

Sleepwalking is a disorder that comes on during the deep sleep phase, from one to three hours after falling asleep. Episodes can last from 5 to 30 minutes and despite the condition’s name, they don’t always involve walking. Often people just rub their eyes, sit up on their bed or talk in their sleep.  According to the NHS, one in five children will sleepwalk at least once in their life. Meanwhile,...

Friendship is often said to be eternal, to withstand the test of time and distance. We expect friends to accept everything about us, but it's not always that simple. Just like any relationship, they can become complicated and sometimes toxic. Not all friendships are always worth keeping, and certain signs can indicate when one is nearing its end. Friendships should be a source of joy, support, and...

For a number of years now, our smartphones have played a central role in many aspects of our lives, from work to personal relationships to entertainment. There’s a close and sometimes addictive connection.  Just think of doomscrolling for example, which is a phenomenon we’ve discussed in the past on Do You Really Know. It’s a form of behaviour which sees us compulsively scrolling through depressin...

You’re standing or sitting perfectly still, but yet you feel like everything is spinning around you, as if you were on a theme park ride. You’ve been getting nausea and throwing up too. Well, the chances are you’re suffering from vertigo.  According to the NHS: "Vertigo can also feel like you're being pulled, tilted, or pushed to one side…[and is] often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, problems wi...

Not everyone has the same relationship with social contact. Introverts, for example, recharge by spending time alone. Meanwhile extroverts get their energy from being around other people. But here’s the thing: being introverted or enjoying solitude isn’t the same as being lonely. Loneliness can actually become painful, and even harmful, when it drags on for too long. What happens when loneliness b...

Making a slip-up at work might not seem like a big deal most of the time, but on occasion it can lead to disappointment and frustration. And no matter how careful we try to be, all it takes is a moment of distraction or a misunderstanding, and boom – mistake made.  The thing is it happens to all of us, every day. Posting on Linkedin in 2016, Leading Edge Safety Systems CEO Graham Edkins wrote that...

If you've ever strolled down the dairy aisle of your local grocery store, chances are you've come across these little tubs of Icelandic goodness. Skyr yoghurt has really grown in popularity in the last five to ten years. But is it really as healthy as it’s touted to be, or is its reputation down to marketing hype?  It's a traditional Icelandic yogurt, which is said to have been brought to Iceland...

As much as society might tell us the opposite, sex isn't actually always about pleasure. And that's especially true for men affected by the condition we're going to talk about today. It's known as postorgasmic illness syndrome, or POIS for short, and it's considered a rare disease. According to a review published in Sexual Medicine Reviews journal in 2018, there were only 50 recorded diagnoses, bu...

What is a tumour? The word tumour comes directly from the Latin word for “swelling”. A tumour appears when a group of cells multiply and form a mass. Even though some tumours are malignant, or cancerous, most are actually benign, or non-cancerous. When normal cells multiply and remain localized, there’s nothing to worry about. These can be, for example, moles or warts. Can benign tumours develop a...

The idea that light-colored eyes are generally more fragile is pretty widespread. They’re less resistant to sunlight and require more protection. According to Medical News Today, it’s estimated that around 8-10% of people in the world have blue eyes. When our eyes are open, rays of light pass through the pupil, the black opening in the center of the iris. As you may know, the pupil dilates when it...

During winter, we tend to huddle indoors in an understandable bid to stay warm. But while this makes for a cosy setting, it also becomes a major breeding ground for virus transmission. The dry air in offices, public transport and our homes can strip the moisture from our nasal passages, leaving us more susceptible to infections. The nose, mouth, and eyes serve as the primary gateways for viruses t...

According to UK charity The Men’s Health Forum, two thirds of all men are affected by male pattern baldness in their lifetime. That won’t be a surprise to anyone, but would you have guessed that an estimated 50% of women also experience noticeable hair loss according to the Cleveland Clinic. We actually have around 100,000 hair follicles on our head, of which we lose between 50 and 100 every day,...

The cost of living crisis has seen food prices increase by as much as 65% according to the Office for National Statistics meaning that the average British household spends an extra £600 pounds a year on food. But considering that there is also about 4.5 million tonnes of food waste annually the possibility of reducing wasted food as well as bills has never been more needed. Reducing your bill at t...

We've all experienced it: the sudden urge to pee when it's cold is a common thing. This connection was supposedly discovered by Austrian physician Alfred Adler back in 1918. His experiment involved injecting cold water into a bladder to see how the body reacts. You might think it caused the kidneys to contract, but that's not the case... What did Adler discover then? Are there other factors explai...

The term goose bumps appeared way back in the 17th century, and describes the well-known phenomenon which shows up when we’re cold, scared or simply feeling strong emotions. For example, going out underdressed in winter, hearing the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard, or watching a horror film. Yes, indeed it can seem rather odd, but just like everything our bodies do, there’s a very logical exp...

Caffè sospeso literally translates to English as a ‘suspended coffee’. It’s an Italian tradition whereby cafe customers pay for an extra coffee that will be put aside, for a poor person to claim at a later time. The caffè sospeso idea can be extended to other types of food, and it’s seen a revival in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s believed the caffè sospeso tradition was born in Nap...

In the UK you can only buy vapes or e-cigarettes if you are over 18, but the bright packaging, fruit flavors and affordable prices attracts teenagers who often use disposable single-use products like Elf and Geek bars. Now campaigners are calling for tighter restrictions on vapes to bring them more into line with cigarettes. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in Engl...

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged an unprecedented offensive on Gaza. What began as retaliation against Hamas attacks has escalated into relentless violence. According to Statista, by July 30, 2025, more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli bombardments, including over 18,000 children. As early as November 2023, UN rapporteurs, NGOs, and lawyers warned that Israel’s actions am...

Eating raw fish like sushi and sashimi has never been more popular, whether that’s in restaurants or on supermarket shelves. The good news is that such dishes are rich in fatty acids and vitamins from the A, D, and E groups, which brings a host of health benefits. But on the flipside, they can also be sources of contamination. It’s mostly down to improper handling and storage at seafood markets, o...

In this day and age, we barely have time to be bored, what with the endless stream of notifications coming from our smartphones, music, TV shows, games, work and social media all demanding our attention around the clock.  Our brains have become addicted to constant stimulation. And as a result, doing nothing has become almost unbearable. But there are actually benefits to getting bored, which is w...