Do you really know?

Antibiotics are critical to modern medicine, and have saved millions of lives since first being introduced in the mid-20th century. However, there are drawbacks to prescribing antibiotics when they’re not actually required. Of course there’s the issue of antibiotic resistance, which is seen as a major threat to human health. And there are also unwanted side effects of antibiotic use to take into a...

he last two and a half years have caused a lot of us to reassess our priorities in life. Are we really living our lives to the full? Are there new experiences that we should be trying out? Within that context, an alternative nomadic lifestyle called vanlife has seen a resurgence.  It’s been around since the 1960s, when hippies would travel across the United States in vans. But social media has mad...

According to a study published in the Scientific Reports journal in 2017, the holiday season sees a peak in sex-related searches on Google and Twitter. The researchers behind the study also identified an increase in birth rates in late September, in other words nine months after Christmas of the previous year. So the evidence is there: for many of us, sexual desire increases at Christmas time. The...

We all know staying hydrated is crucial for feeling fit and healthy. The general recommendation is to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day. But let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to stick to that. Ideally, you shouldn’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water because thirst signals that your body has already lost about half a litre of water. But you might be surprised to learn that you...

According to data from Writer Buddy, Character. Ai ranks as the second most used AI tool behind ChatGPT. It received 3.8 billion visits in the twelve months following its launch in September 2022.  Now, if you’re not familiar with the service, users can create their own chatbots based on famous figures like Albert Einstein or Elon Musk, fictional characters, or custom-created avatars. Some people...

Body positivity, once the rallying cry for self-acceptance and diversity, championed the idea that all bodies deserve recognition. Born online and amplified by social media, it pushed back against the narrow beauty standards long set by fashion and advertising. But in 2025, there’s a sense that the tide may be turning perhaps even back toward a pre-body positivity mindset. So, how did this movemen...

John Lewis has released its annual Christmas advert; entitled ‘The Beginner.’ It follows the progress of a middle aged man as he slowly, painfully and determinedly learns how to skateboard. The montage ends by revealing that he is doing all this to make his foster daughter feel welcome when she comes to stay with them for Christmas. It's touching and, for all but the most cold hearted, brings a te...

Did you get roped into taking care of your neighbour's dog again? End up laughing at a colleague’s awkward joke about your outfit? Or say yes to a last-minute task that your boss dropped on you out of nowhere? Your instinct may have been screaming "no," but as usual, you found yourself chuckling uncomfortably and reluctantly saying "yes" through clenched teeth.  This compulsion to avoid disappoint...

Back in 2010, Japanese writer Mari Kondo changed how we think about organisation and decluttering with her bestseller The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Behind the book’s grand title is a simple premise: anything that doesn’t bring you joy should be thrown away.  Since then, a new and somewhat similar trend caught on in the late 2010s: death cleaning. It’s mainly designed for people entering t...

Beyond dancing, comedy and cute cat videos, social media sometimes hides a darker reality. The algorithms that control what we see on those apps are meant to personalise the experience, but they can at times throw up problematic or even dangerous content, and that’s particularly true for younger users. How is that possible? Is TikTok’s algorithm any worse than that of other social networks? Is por...

It might only affect between 0.3% and 0.6% of the population, but still public awareness of kleptomania is pretty strong. It’s come to our attention through portrayals in films and TV series over the years, as well as real-life examples of Hollywood celebrities being prone to it despite all their riches. So the chances are you already know that kleptomania is a behavioural disorder which sees peop...

Vegetarians and vegans, do you ever find it difficult to keep your diet balanced? Meat-eaters, if you’ve ever considered going veggie, was that something that dissuaded you? It’s certainly fair to say that simply loading up on fruit and veg isn’t enough to stick to a balanced meat-free diet. You really need to be including grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, perhaps not on a daily basis, but as a re...

If you were to turn on your TV right now, or open up Netflix, the chances of you stumbling upon a cheesy Christmas movie would be pretty high. They tend to be full of clichés, cringeworthy one-liners and predictable plots, but still we just can't seem to get enough.  Let’s take a moment to delve into the psychology behind Christmas movies, and how they got to be so successful. Mormon director Geor...

Emotional baggage is a term we use to describe the unresolved issues, stress, pain, and difficulties that we carry around from our past experiences. It can weigh us down, affect our relationships, and even prevent us from achieving our goals.  Here are some tips on how to let go and move on.  One way is to shift our thinking. If we struggle with regret, guilt, or resentment because of our past, we...

There have been many films and documentaries about the thrill and struggle of climbing Everest and with social media it has become an ever more popular destination.  Just this year a French youtuber has broken audience records for his film ‘Kaizen’ about his challenge that he made to conquer Everest in just one year.  Over the past century, over 340 climbers have died on its peaks, with 2015 being...

If you have ever been to London over Christmas then you could not have missed the lights on oxford street and of course the huge Christmas tree standing proud in Trafalgar Square. But it is a little-known fact that this tree is actually a gift from Norway. The very first tree was offered to England back in 1947 and every year since a tree is given to the British people from Norway to thank them fo...

The snowball method is based on the idea of paying off your smallest debt first, while making minimum payments on the rest. Then, you take the money you were paying on that debt and apply it to the next smallest debt, and so on until you’re debt-free. This way, you create a snowball effect that builds momentum and motivation as you see your debts disappear one by one. What are the advantages? What...

No doubt you’ve realised that some types of food have a boosting effect, like eggs, oats and avocado for example. That’s because they contain tyrosine, an amino acid which is a precursor to dopamine, making them an ideal breakfast option. At the other end of the scale, some foods are better suited for preparing our bodies to go to sleep, by bringing on certain chemical reactions. In terms of what...

Period underwear came out in 2013 but has increased in popularity, largely as they claim to be better for the environment and easy to use. However, in January 2023 Thinx, a leading US manufacturer of period underwear who branded themself as a sustainable alternative to single-use menstrual products has just settled a lawsuit regarding the presence of PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals.” Now pe...

Are you feeling the chills, a scratchy throat, and a non-stop runny nose? Winter brings the cold bug everywhere – in public transport, at work, and even at home. Coughs and sneezes all around! Getting a stuffy nose is another annoying symptom that can keep us tossing and turning at night. But surprisingly, it's a crucial mechanism for keeping us healthy. To combat the situation, our body produces...

If you drink alcohol, the chances are at some point you’ve had to deal with a nasty hangover, due to drinking too much. The associated headache, nausea, fatigue and other symptoms can make it a real challenge to get through the day after a night out.  There’s actually a scientific term for the unpleasant symptoms that come with a hangover; it’s veisalgia. According to Ted.com, between 3 and 23% of...

In any given week in England, 3 in 100 people are suffering from depression, according to a NatCen Social Research study published in 2014. Depression can affect anyone, regardless of age or social class. Everybody experiences different moods. You might find yourself feeling happy during the day, sad at times, or even just okay. Those with mood disorders experience these same emotions, but for lon...

The trend, which emerged in certain feminist movements in the 1960s, has been spreading on social networks since 2020, notably under the #NoBra banner. And it seems the trend may be lasting despite the worst of Covid hopefully being behind us. We’ve recently seen A-Listers like Dua Lipa, Kirsten Stewart and Lily Allen go braless in public, with the Daily Mail referring to “the great underwear-free...

As artificial intelligence evolves at lightning speed, more and more people are turning to it for health advice. A survey conducted in April 2025 by the FLASHS Institute for Galeon found that one in three French people have already consulted an AI about their health. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, that figure jumps to 68%. And according to IPSOS, OpenAI’s ChatGPT tops the list as France’s most...

According to the American National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, around 9% of the US population are affected by an eating disorder. We’ve all heard of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, which are among the most commonly diagnosed. But there is also orthorexia. It’s called orthorexia, coming from the Latin words “orthos”, meaning correct and “orexis”, meaning appetite....