Do you really know?

All personal development coaches emphasise the importance of setting goals, even ones that may seem out of reach at first. Doing so not only boosts motivation but also enables gradual achievement.  Nowadays a lot of people find this kind of approach almost second nature, but others struggle with it. A fear of failure, workplace anxiety, and a lack of self-confidence can make ambition seem unattain...

Speculative science fiction really is a genre of its own. Some people love it, others find it pointless, but you can’t deny the mental gymnastics involved in imagining the future of our societies, especially when some of those predictions turn out to be right.  In that field, there are a few writers who stand out above the rest: George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and, perhaps most famously, Isaac Asimo...

Are you someone who thrives on making decisions at work, or do you prefer to take a back seat and let others have the final say? Decisions can be a source of anxiety, even for those who generally like making them. That's especially true when the sheer quantity of decisions to be made adds up, and you've got a limited amount of time in which to make them. That happens frequently to people working i...

Even during the summer, the mere idea of taking an ice cold shower may well be enough to give you the shivers. After all, the soothing feeling of warm water running over skin is what most people prefer. But a lot of social media content creators claim to have reaped health benefits from taking cold showers. They tend to talk about blood circulation, skin quality and the immune system. So do their...

The UN’s COP26 summit is due to start this Sunday, and it’s pretty clear to most of us that climate change is the most serious threat to our health. Of course it’s a physical threat, especially to the vulnerable, due to extreme weather events like heatwaves, storms and fires, which are increasingly frequent and intense.  But we mustn’t neglect the mental impact, as fear of the future is eating awa...

According to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease in 2015, 10% of all people are affected by obstructive sleep apnea. That figure rises for some population groups, like men, over-50s and overweight people.  It’s actually a mechanical disorder, rather than an illness. When we go to sleep, our muscles relax; that's totally normal. But when it comes to people affected by apnea, the so...

Distractions in the workplace are almost endless, from Slack group notifications to questions from colleagues to the dozen or more tabs you’ve got open in your browser. By the time your next meeting comes along, you realise two hours have passed and you’ve barely done any productive work at all.  Sound familiar? Thankfully there’s a method to improve your efficiency and concentration which may hel...

As thunderclouds gather and winds intensify, the decision to shut off the power becomes a critical one, balancing safety concerns with the practicalities of daily life. The risks associated with electrical installations depend on the location of your home. For example, the consequences are more severe if your home is in a rural or mountainous area, for a number of reasons. Lightning poses a signif...

She's one of the most influential women in the world. Taylor Swift, a country star in the United States who has become a global pop star, is shattering all records. She has been named the Personality of 2023, and has won Album of the Year for the record-breaking 4th time. In November 2024, Joe Biden, the President of the United States, is standing for re-election. His main opponent is still Donald...

What is restless anal syndrome? Thanks for asking!  Although the global vaccination rate reached 40% in mid-October, Covid-19 clearly hasn’t gone away for good just yet. The most common symptoms of coronavirus are mostly well-known, but it keeps surprising us with new repercussions, like restless anal syndrome for example. How did this unpleasant side effect come on? But how on earth did we get fr...

If you’re asking yourself whether cracking your knuckles is a bad thing, we'll take it as a given that you do crack your knuckles. You’ve probably also been told at some point that doing so will give you arthritis, most likely by someone already annoyed at you doing it! So, just how seriously should you be taking the know-it-alls? As you’re probably aware, many people find the noise pretty off-put...

On September 6th, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a 96-word statement in which he referred to “climate breakdown” having begun. It was in response to a report from the World Meteorological Organization, which highlighted the impact of record-breaking heatwaves across the globe this summer.  June, July, and August 2023 are the hottest three-month period ever recorded. The WMO says th...

For most 18-24 year olds, generative AI is already part of daily life. Research, emails, translations, summaries - AI is everywhere. Its possibilities feel endless, limited only by our imagination. But with that comes a growing skepticism, especially in schools and workplaces: “Was this really written by a person?” “Did ChatGPT write that assignment?” The good news is, there are clues that can tip...

It's back to school! DYRK 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! It's well known that we should all be doing half an hour of moderate physical activity every day. But sometimes our busy lifestyles make it difficult finding thirty consecutive minutes to do ex...

The idea of a broken heart may make you think of a cartoon, an emoji or a bad break-up from your past. But broken heart syndrome is a real physical condition, which is also known as Tako-tsubo. Good guess but just wide of the mark. Tako-tsubo syndrome was described for the first time in Japan, at the start of the 1990s. Researchers in the western world didn’t acknowledge the condition until severa...

Sex can certainly make us work up a sweat; but is it enough to cancel out that burger and fries you got from McDonald’s at lunchtime?  Well if you were thinking about quitting the gym in favour of sex-ercise, you may want to reconsider. Sex doesn’t actually burn as many calories as you might think.  How many are we talking then? Does the position make a difference? If it’s not that intense, then w...

Stealth wealth or quiet luxury as it is sometimes known is the practice of concealing one's wealth or not flaunting one's money or possessions, but rather keeping them private and discreet. It’s the kind of luxury that keeps a low profile and doesn't try to stand out with big logos or loud statement pieces. But that does not mean people don’t know you are wealthy, at least some people do. Look at...

The brain plays a central role in desire, arousal, and sexual pleasure, but we don’t always realize just how much it influences our sex lives. While hormones and physical attraction are important, it’s the brain that processes emotions, triggers pleasure, and coordinates physical responses. According to neuroscientists, every part of the brain is involved in sexuality. The hypothalamus regulates h...

Whether it's a matter of courtesy or preventing the spread of germs, it's not uncommon for people to hold back a sneeze. When this happens, the intercostal muscles contract strongly, but without the release of air if the nose is pinched or the mouth is closed. However, sneezing is a natural bodily reflex designed to expel dust, microbes, or any other irritating substances from the nasal cavity. Ou...

What is flexitarianism? Thanks for asking! Flexitarianism is a portmanteau word combining flexible and vegetarianism. It’s a mostly vegetarian way of eating which nevertheless allows for occasional meat dishes. The aim is to reduce red meat and animal protein consumption, replacing them with high-protein plant foods. This type of diet is becoming increasingly common, and the word flexitarian was a...

Meditation is often sighted as a great way to relax, reduce stress and help us focus, but it can be difficult for lots of people to do in the traditional sense. However, meditation can be achieved without ever sitting down cross legged and focusing on your breathing. “The whole idea with mindfulness is training your brain, you can do this just as well by being intentionally mindful throughout the...

Ah, the G-spot... An often cited but frequently elusive erogenous zone which has a reputation of being able to unlock intense female orgasms if you know how to stimulate it the right way.  The G-spot was first discovered by German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg - hence the G part of the name - back in 1950. But the term was only coined in his honour in the 1980s, by a group of researchers who were...

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 have been wide...

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping. It allows our mind and body to recharge, which is vital for a number of reasons. It helps our immune system to ward off diseases, and the brain to function properly. And yet as many as 16 million adults in the UK suffer from sleepless nights, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. You may have noticed that your own optimal sleep...

You might be the kind of person that meticulously fills your fridge with your groceries ensuring that every item is in the correct spot or perhaps you just shove them in wherever there is space but there is actual science behind how to best fill your fridge to keep things fresh and avoid waste. But everything you thought you knew may no longer be valid as the UK food authority has just updated its...