Do you really know?

Have you ever heard ot the stairs test? Experts say it’s an excellent gauge of a person’s overall health. The idea is to run up as many flights of stairs as your body allows you to. If you can’t manage two flights at a brisk pace, you may need to consider lifestyle changes to improve your health. Meanwhile if you can climb eight or more, the chances are you’re in excellent health already. But beyo...

Mugging is a form of robbery that involves violence or the threat of violence against a person in a public place. It’s also known as street robbery or personal robbery. However, would-be muggers have been foiled by a recent covert police operation in London which aimed at reducing street theft.  Brave officers posed as potential victims by wearing expensive luxury watches to tempt thieves and hang...

During the Covid-19 health crisis, our approach to work underwent significant changes, largely thanks to the surge in remote work. This shift allowed people to reassess their priorities and determine where they genuinely wanted to live. Dreary lockdown periods also led to heightened awareness of our anxieties and life choices. So it’s no real surprise that many people chose to flee the cities they...

If there are any teenagers out there listening in, chances are you have faced an acne breakout at some point in the recent past, or perhaps you're even going through that now. Rest assured, that was the case for many of us adults too when we were your age, and for some people, acne continues to be a nuisance into adulthood. It’s tied to a number of factors including hormonal shifts, genetics, life...

The Scottish have a long history of cultural and political ties with Scandinavia, dating back to the Viking era. Many Scottish place names, words, and traditions have Nordic origins. For example, the word loch comes from the Old Norse word for lake, and the kilt is similar to the plaid worn by the Norsemen. The Scottish also share a love of nature, adventure, and whisky with their Scandinavian cou...

In the period from 2018 to 2020, the life expectancy at birth for women in the UK was 82.9 years, while it was just 79 for men. That’s according to data from the Office of National Statistics. And that disparity is a common trend across various countries and even among certain other species of mammals, like great apes. There certainly are, and they span both biological and behavioral factors. Dr....

According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, people in wealthier countries are happier on average, but only up to a point. Even in so-called "emerging" countries like Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey, there was a correlation between rising wealth levels and the percentage of happy people. Interestingly though, in well-off nations, people don't necessarily attribute their happiness directly...

The microwave first emerged in the 1950s and has since become a common fixture in kitchens worldwide. 2018 data from Statista showed that 93% of UK household now own a microwave, with that figure also being over 90% in the United States according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Love it or hate it; you can’t deny that it’s hard to beat the microwave for convenience when it comes to quickly r...

The world of cinema is full of films and sagas which leave their mark on a generation, sometimes becoming cult films. And another phenomenon is becoming more and more common: that of the spin off. Spin-off films involve the creation of a new work based on the original, focusing on the story of a secondary character. There are a number of reasons why directors and screenwriters have chosen to carry...

In this day and age, it’s common to feel stressed every day, even right through to the evening. Have you ever struggled to lower your stress levels when it comes to bedtime, and taken a long while to fall asleep as a result? The worry of not getting enough sleep then just gets you even more frustrated; it’s a vicious circle. If you’re falling victim to anxiety and fatigue for that reason, it’s tim...

The Green Belt is a policy for controlling urban growth in the United Kingdom. It refers to a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where local food growing, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail. The Green Belt policy was first introduced in 1935 by the Greater London Regional Planning Committee, and now covers 14...

You may not have realised, but tomorrow sees the first full moon of 2024, and there are actually a whole host of popular beliefs associated with this occurrence. For example, some people say that there are more births on evenings with a full moon. Others believe that the moon has an influence on our sleep, dreams, mood and even menstrual cycle for women. The moon and its potential interactions wit...

"Love is abundant, and every relationship is unique." That might not seem like the most controversial of statements, but it’s actually the first point of The short instructional manifesto for relationship anarchy, originally written in Swedish by blogger Andie Nordgren back in 2006.  Just as political anarchy sees all rules and authority thrown out of the window, relationship anarchy rewrites the...

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...

Artificial intelligence really came to the fore in 2023, with chatGPT in particular gaining global recognition, and being used by many people on a daily basis for assistance and entertainment. Despite the recent hype, the idea of AI is nothing new. In fact, you can trace its roots back to the time of World War II, and Alan Turing’s enigma cracking machine. But you can’t deny that these days a real...

"May all your delulu come trululu, because being delulu is the solulu." The clip you just listened to comes from American influencer Bianca Bernardo on Tiktok, and it’s had over 2/3 million views at the time of recording. If you’re wondering what the heck those crazy words mean, it’s best summed up as saying: “may all your fantasies turn into reality”.  Indeed, the delulu hashtag has racked up ove...

I don’t know about you, but I find that there’s something about the seaside air which just always makes me relax and puts me in a better mood. As it turns out, that might be more than just my impression. A study conducted by the University of Vienna and published in May 2022 established that living near the sea can have significant effects on health and life expectancy.  Now the idea is not exactl...

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...

It's pretty common these days to have to tackle several things at once, like responding to an email while on a work call. Our constant pursuit of productivity leads us to mix various activities simultaneously, whether it's at work, home, or even at school for kids. This blending of at least two tasks at the same time is commonly known as multitasking. When you focus on something that you’re doing...

You may well be familiar with Oxford University Press, and its annual “word of the year"  award. Regular listeners may remember that the 2022 word of the year was "goblin mode," as we ran a dedicated episode on the topic around a year ago. Now for the 2023 award, "swifties," "situationship," and "prompt" were among the final four terms in the running. But those three fell just short. Drumroll, ple...

The Honours list is a way of recognising people who have made achievements in public life or committed themselves to serving and helping the UK. The honours system is overseen by the Cabinet Office and the King approves the final list of recipients. There are different types of honours, such as knighthoods, damehoods, orders of the British Empire, and medals.  Anyone can nominate someone for an ho...

Do you ever feel bad about swearing out of frustration? You know, when someone cuts in front of you while you're driving, you stub your toe or you accidentally delete an important file from your phone or PC.  Well its understandable if you want to keep your emotions under control, or not set a bad example to any children around you. But maybe you shouldn't actually feel bad. It turns out that sayi...

According to recent data from personal finance website NimbleFins, the average British family of four spent around £4,678 for a 9-night holiday abroad in 2023. And of that total amount, £1,828 went towards flights, nearly 40%, reflecting the reality that air fares still account for a high proportion of the total cost of a holiday.  And experts say that flight prices are set to continue rising in t...

We've talked about a few gimmick diets in the past on Do You Really Know, and here's another one: the "baby food" diet. Now you may not have heard of it, but it has gained popularity among celebrities worldwide. Rumours have abound in the past suggesting that stars like Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga, and Cheryl Cole were embracing it, Due to the quick slimming it promises through low-calorie meals....