Do you really know?

In the Western world, a true sexual revolution began in the 1960s. The idea that sex isn’t solely for procreation became widely accepted, leading to the breakdown of many taboos. This cultural shift paved the way for major social progress, such as the legalisation of contraception and abortion. Over time, perspectives on sex have expanded beyond the traditional, heteronormative framework. Today, m...

Many of us have joked in the past about being allergic to work, or afraid of it, but did you know that there’s actually a real phobia of work? Have you ever felt anxious or stressed about going to work? Do you dread the thought of facing your boss, your colleagues, or your tasks? Do you avoid applying for jobs or quit them easily? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might have ergop...

The societies we live in these days, and especially in cities. We sometimes feel exhausted, anxious, depressed, and lonely in this ultra-productive life. What’s more, the constant fast pace can lead to memory and concentration problems. If you’re struggling to keep up, the slow living philosophy could be for you.  Slow Living is to do less in order to enjoy more. Instead of wanting to have multipl...

AI is everywhere—from helping us write emails to planning our meals. But while it may feel invisible, it comes with a real environmental cost. According to a 2024 Ifop-Talan survey, 70% of young adults use AI every day—without realizing how much energy and water it consumes. A 2024 study by researcher Shaolei Ren found that generating a short 100-word email with AI uses the same amount of energy a...

When Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, one of his priorities was to roll back progressive policies from the Biden administration. Among the main targets were scientific projects—many of which now risk losing funding if they include certain terms related to social or environmental issues. According to The Washington Post, an internal document from the U.S. National Science Foundatio...

“Time and tide waits for no one”, the old saying goes, but it’s fair to say that some people are affected by symptoms of ageing earlier than others. And the latest study to come out of the University of Rotterdam suggests that there may be a link between how old we look, and how likely we are to develop certain age-related conditions. The team of researchers published their findings in the British...

According to new research a mediterranean diet could lower the risk of dementia by a quarter regardless of a person's genetic risk. “The findings from this large population-based study underscore the long-term brain health benefits of consuming a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats," said Joint lead author of the study, Dr Janice Ranson, a senior...

The term is a bit of a mouthful in more ways than one, but eatertainment has been growing rapidly in recent years. Of course, it’s the contraction of “eat” and “entertainment”, and refers to when eating out is more than just a meal; it has a unique entertainment aspect too. A cinema that allows visitors to enjoy a meal during a film showing, or an indoor mini-golf course which you can play on whil...

We often assume that fresh is best, but the reality is more complicated. It all depends on how vegetables are stored, how long they’ve been in transit, and even how they’re cooked. While fresh vegetables are packed with nutrients right after harvest, they can lose a significant amount of vitamins and minerals by the time they reach your plate. According to a 2023 study on UK consumer habits, nearl...

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...

What’s shaping Europe today? How does it impact your life? And what’s the bigger picture? Long Story Short is Europod’s new daily podcast, cutting through the noise to bring you the facts, the context, and why it all matters in just 5 minutes. Tune in Monday to Friday for sharp, no-nonsense breakdowns of the news that’s shaping Europe. Perfect for your coffee break, your commute, or whenever you n...

Not being able to fall asleep at night can be incredibly frustrating. You’re tossing and turning, exhausted but unable to drift off. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—millions of people struggle with insomnia, making it difficult to get through the next day. While medication is an option, experts often recommend non-drug approaches as the most effective solutions. Light therapy, weighted b...

We all know that eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet is one of the best ways to support healthy aging. While aging is a natural and inevitable process, the foods we eat can either slow it down or speed it up. Some protect our cells, while others do real harm, accelerating aging both inside and out. Sugar, for example, is one of the biggest enemies of your skin. It triggers a process called glyca...

We all know the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed first thing in the morning. It can be tempting to press the "snooze" button on your alarm clock to grab a few extra minutes of sleep. And research has shown that it’s a very common habit. In October 2022, results from a University of Notre Dame study on the subject were published in Sleep journal. The study found that 57% of people snooze, w...

"Dear you, spending painful days pretending to be okay for someone else. You don't need to tell us everything... but how about just a little of it?" Imagine you’re in the bathroom at uni and you notice a message like that printed on the toilet roll. Pretty weird right?! Well that’s exactly the situation students in the Yamanashi region of Japan found themselves in, when authorities rolled out thei...

What do chicken nuggets, margarine and instant noodles all have in common? Well, they may look tasty, but they’re loaded with sugar, salt, fat and chemicals that strip away their nutritional value. That’s due to the heavy processing that goes into making them, which sees them completely transformed from the original raw ingredients.  And they’re increasingly ever present on our shelves and in our...

On march 21 we’re in the middle of Podcasthon charity event. It’s an annual charity event which sees podcasters come together to highlight different organisations, their work, and their impact Drug use among young people is nothing new, but in recent years it has reached record levels, according to research published in 2022 by youth charity. They found that the number of 16 to 25 year olds taking...

Along with account hacking and fake technical support, phishing is one of the most common types of online scam. It can appear in many forms, from emails and text messages to sponsored search engine links and phone calls. But in 2024, a new variation emerged, targeting motorists in particular. Known as quishing—a blend of “QR” and “phishing”—this scam uses fake QR codes to steal payment details. QR...

If there’s one trait nobody wants to claim, it’s stinginess. But being stingy isn’t about how much money you have. Take Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA—despite his fortune, he lived modestly and even shopped at flea markets. For him, frugality was a habit, not an obsession. But when caution with money turns into an all-consuming need to save at all costs, it can impact not just your finances,...

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence has transformed how many workers go about their jobs on a daily basis. AI developments are certainly exciting to many people, but there’s also a lot of nervousness out there, due to the inevitability that AI-based automation will end up replacing some parts of human work in a lot of fields. In January 2024, the IMF issued a caut...

According to a study published in Human Reproduction in 2021, there are around 1.6 million twins born each year, with an average of one in every 42 newborn children being a twin. The research also revealed that the global twinning rate had increased by a third since the 1980s. It’s fair to say that twins have long fascinated scientists, and society as a whole. Some people portray twins as kind of...

If you’re a fan of sitcoms, no doubt you've seen episodes in which the characters were celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. It's a big deal in the UK and Ireland of course, as well as across the pond in North America. Each year in the build up to March 17th, bars and pubs, especially Irish ones, deck themselves out in green and shamrocks. But before it became an excuse to sink a few pints of Guinness...

What’s shaping Europe today? How does it impact your life? And what’s the bigger picture? Long Story Short is Europod’s new daily podcast, cutting through the noise to bring you the facts, the context, and why it all matters in just 5 minutes. Tune in Monday to Friday for sharp, no-nonsense breakdowns of the news that’s shaping Europe. Perfect for your coffee break, your commute, or whenever you n...

Whether you’re the one being left or the one doing the leaving, a breakup always presents certain challenges. It’s pretty common to try to learn from the relationship that’s ended, in order to move forwards in a positive way. And those takeaways can help us gain perspective and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.  But when that kind of rumination becomes excessive and persists with time,...

Having an orgasm triggers a cascade of physiological responses, including the tightening of muscles in the pelvic and genital regions, and the release of various hormones and neurotransmitters. It sets the heart racing, ramps up breathing, and sends blood rushing to the penis or clitoris, causing them to become erect. Of course reaching orgasm isn’t guaranteed. Before it happens, there's typically...