Do you really know?

Today, we’re talking about a new phenomenon that affects social interactions. Phubbing is something we've all likely experienced or done ourselves at some point. The term is a portmanteau of "phone" and "snubbing", and refers to the act of looking at your phone instead of paying attention to someone else in a social situation. It’s becoming increasingly common as our reliance on our mobile devices...

It might seem like just a loud (and annoying) habit, but snoring can sometimes be a sign of deeper health issues—including sleep apnea, stroke risk, and even long-term brain damage. In this episode, we break down why snoring happens, what it means for your health, and what evidence-based tips can actually help you or your partner stop. Why do some people snore more than others? Can snoring really...

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, with an average of 98 million cups consumed in the UK every day, according to the British Coffee Association. In moderation, there are plenty of benefits to be gained from drinking coffee, but there can also be some negative side effects, in particular due to its caffeine content. Decaf is an alternative, but is it really healthier? Our bodies...

As summer heats up, deodorant becomes a faithful ally. But this product can be very dangerous. On May 2022 a 14 year old girl, Giorgia Green, died from inhaling deodorant. The teenager, who was on the autistic spectrum, liked to spray deodorant on her blankets as she found the smell comforting. "The smell of it gave her a certain sense of relaxation," said her father. Sadly her cause of death was...

Gold has dazzled humans for thousands of years—but does that ancient allure make it a smart place to put your money today? In this episode, we dig into the facts: why gold is seen as a safe haven during economic crises, how it can diversify your investment portfolio, and what hidden risks come with it—like price volatility, storage costs, and lack of income. We also bust the myths around “get-rich...

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of smokers in the UK is estimated at 6.6 million. The proportion has been steadily dropping for years now. Given the health risks, you’d think smokers would be delighted to give up, but the prospect of putting on weight is a cause of concern for many. To be fair, it i’s a well-founded fear to some extent. In 2014, Addiction journal report...

As 2021 draws to close, let’s discuss a word which has become more and more widespread in the United States at the end of the year. This contemptible practice was called out by young woman Megan Mapes on TikTok in October 2021. She had herself been a victim of hogging in an American college. The sexist and fat phobic ritual has caught on in some fraternities in the US. Male students compete to hav...

Daylight saving time (DST) It’s the practice of advancing your clocks by one hour during the spring and summer months, and then turning them back in the autumn and winter. The idea is to make better use of natural daylight and save energy. But some people question if it really works and if there are any advantages to us at all.   Daylight saving time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784...

Ever walk away from a date or social event wondering, “Did they even like me?” You’re not alone—and the answer might not be what you think. Psychologists call it the liking gap: the tendency we all have to assume people like us less than they actually do. It’s common in dating, new friendships, and even in fresh work environments. But here’s the kicker—this self-doubt can sabotage potential relati...

Have you ever noticed a man explaining something to a woman in a supremely confident way which suggests he absolutely knows more than her about the subject? Well, there’s a term for that, which is mansplaining. A recent thread on parenting forum Mumsnet invited women to share their worst examples of mansplaining. Among them were patronising explanations of the offside rule, a gas man telling a qua...

Most of us have that pile of clothes in limbo—not quite dirty, not quite clean. But do we actually need to wash our clothes as often as we do? The answer might surprise you. A rise in laundry loads in the UK has led to more water usage, higher energy bills, and more microplastic pollution. Synthetic fabrics, in particular, shed microfibres during washes. But experts say we could cut down—jeans, fo...

The idea of carbon footprint dates back to the early 2000s and ironically was introduced by oil giant BP. But recently, a new concept was created: the climate change shadow. It's a relatively recent addition to the ever growing list of terms relating to climate change. American writer Emma Pattee introduced the idea of the climate shadow in a blog post for Mic.com in December 2021, as a more compr...

For many people, asserting themselves at work is a real challenge. There’s a lot of possible reasons for that, including stress, anxiety, new responsibilities, deadlines, personal issues or a lack of self-confidence for example. But there is an active congitive strategy, actually a pretty simple one, based on the psychological concept of "self-distancing," that could help you overcome these obstac...

We’ve talked about a lot of dating trends on Do You Really Know, many of which are pretty negative. And the subject of today’s episode is no exception. R-bombing might sound pretty dramatic, but in fact it just refers to leaving someone on read when they message you.  You know, those annoying blue ticks you see on whatsapp which tell you your message has been seen. They light up and you expect the...

Cleaning can feel satisfying, but did you know many household products might actually harm your health? A 2021 Which? study revealed that nearly half of common UK cleaning products contain potentially dangerous chemicals. Even those labeled “eco-friendly” or “for sensitive skin” aren’t always safe. Preservatives like Methylisothiazolinone and Benzisothiazolinone are known to cause allergic reactio...

The NHS says that one in seven couples may have difficulty conceiving, which can be a traumatic experience for those who want to have children. Sometimes, infertility can be treated through medicine or surgery, and other times assisted conception through artificial insemination or IVF helps those couples get pregnant. But other times, it just doesn’t work out and a couple aren’t able to have a chi...

In late April 2024, police chiefs from the UK’s National Crime Agency and 32 European countries issued a statement expressing their concerns about the use of end-to-end encryption by instant messaging services like WhatsApp. The statement recognised that E2E encryption protects users’ personal data, but emphasised that it also prevents authorities from identifying suspicious or illegal activities....

Hay fever already affects around 20% of people in the UK—and that number is expected to rise sharply. A 2024 University of Manchester study found that cases have increased by 33% in the last 20 years, a trend driven in part by climate change, along with urbanisation and pollution. The World Health Organization now classifies allergies as a global health concern, predicting that by 2050, half of th...

You may remember that we talked about the Great Resignation a little while back on Do You Really Know. The trend saw millions of workers across the US quit their jobs in 2021 and 2022 in particular, with a similar pattern being seen in other Western countries too. Well it might have seemed like a great idea at the time for a lot of those resignees, but it hasn’t been all rosy for some of them sinc...

Most of us have to go through a painful breakup at some point in our life. Even if you thought you’d found your soulmate, started planning a grand future together and so on, sometimes things simply don’t work out. Maybe your partner ended it unexpectedly, or maybe you did so yourself. But one question that often rears its head is whether it’s a good idea to remain friends after the breakup. It mig...

We’re surrounded by screens all day, right up until we go to bed. Our lives are intertwined with technology, from the smartphone alarms that wake us to the late-night emails we check. An Ifop study from April 2021 revealed a startling figure: 69% of those scrolling in bed battle with sleep disorders. And while we might think that a quick video or message thread could usher us into dreamland, the r...

Full, Brazilian, landing strip or none at all, pubic hair removal can hide multiple motivations (often driven by societal expectations). While aesthetics tops the list, 56% of men and 45% of women groom their pubic hair with oral sex in mind. But there’s a rumor going around: removing pubic hair could increase sexual pleasure. In 2021, an Ifop survey on hair removal practices in France, conducted...

Binge eating, also known as uncontrollable overeating, is an eating disorder. It is characterized by compulsive and excessive consumption of food within a specific period, usually not exceeding two hours, and a loss of control over eating behavior.  This means that a person can’t measure the amounts or types of food they are consuming, and may eat quickly without feeling full. This loss of control...

Job interviews have always been a daunting prospect for a number of reasons. And the process is only getting more time-consuming for candidates, without offering increased chances of success. According to a June 2023 report from the Josh Bersin Company and AMS, the average recruitment process now take a whopping 44 days. As if all this isn’t demanding enough, interviewers like to throw in the occa...

Flying is far from being the most eco-friendly means of transport. Right now it’s responsible for around 2% of global carbon emissions, but that could grow to as high as 16% by 2050. With the notable exception of travel restrictions in the last two years, the airline industry has gradually been transporting more and more passengers for decades now. While that continued growth is impressive, we hav...