Do you really know?

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...

A Pew Research Center survey from August 2023 found that 52% of respondents were more concerned than excited about AI in daily life, compared with just 10% who felt the opposite. It’s not surprising really when you think about it; after all, things that we don’t understand tend to both fascinate and frighten in equal measure. It’s only very recently that AI has started becoming part of many people...

Numerous archaeological findings have suggested that dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by humans over 20,000 years ago. So it’s little surprise that in this day and age, 29% of UK adults own a dog. That’s according to 2023 data from vet charity PDSA.  If you have a dog, you may have been told that you share physical characteristics with it, a sort of family resemblance if you like. We...

All our organs contain water, even our bones. In total, more than half of our body is made up of it, or 45 litres for a person weighing 65 kg.  The water we drink is needed to eliminate waste: 3 litres disappear every day via urine, perspiration and breathing. It also helps maintain our body temperature at around 37 degrees and is essential for digestion.  The recommended daily intake of water is...

Buccal fat removal is a type of plastic surgery that involves removing the buccal fat pads from your cheeks. These are rounded pads of fat that are located between your facial muscles, in the hollow area beneath your cheekbones. Their size affects your face shape; the larger they are the rounder or fuller your face appears. The goal of buccal fat removal is to thin the cheeks and define the facial...

In early December 2022, German authorities carried out a sting operation on the neo-Nazi Reichsburger group that was plotting to overthrow the country’s government through a coup. It was one of Germany’s biggest ever counterterror operations, seeing 3000 police officers make 300 raids across 11 regions of the country, and led to a total of 25 arrests. The so-called Citizens of the Reich are just o...

You might think that ageing is all about decline and deterioration, but that’s not the whole story. In fact, there are many aspects of life that improve as we grow older, such as happiness, wisdom, relationships, and even some cognitive skills. “Our societal narrative is not based on science – it’s based entirely on prejudice. Contrary to popular myth, we never stop learning or growing new brain c...

As the years go by, those extra inches around the abdomen tend to sneak up on us, and that’s especially true once we hit our fifties. One major player is hormonal shifts. For women, the onset of menopause often brings about weight gain and a burgeoning belly, thanks to a decline in estrogen levels that prompts the body to store fat in the midsection.  And fellas, you're not off the hook either—age...

Friends, Harry Potter, The Office, Home Alone, Love Actually… Most of us have that series or that film we’ve seen at least ten times. And yet, when stress kicks in or a rainy Sunday arrives, we sink into the sofa and press play again. It’s almost like we’re drawn back to stories we already know by heart. So what makes us hit replay? But why do we rely on these “comfort movies”? Are there any other...

Gas cookers are a common feature in many kitchens, often preferred by chefs and home cooks for their precise temperature control but gas cookers emit a number of harmful substances when they are in use and even when they are off that can pollute the indoor air and harm your health. Nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, is a gas that is produced when natural gas is burned at high temperatures. It can damage yo...