Do you really know?

The clitoris is the only organ in the human body that’s dedicated solely to pleasure. It doesn’t have any muscles or play any role in the body's other functions. And while our understanding of the clitoris has improved in recent years, there's still a lot to learn, as research in this area is relatively new. Until recently, researchers thought that the clitoris had 8,000 nerve endings. For compari...

Still to this day, this psychological condition is most often referred to by its previous name: multiple personality disorder. That’s in particular down to exaggerated representations in popular culture like books, TV or cinema. Some prominent examples are the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho or, more recently, Split. Experts have criticised the use of DID as a plot device...

Memory is the ability to store and retrieve information, and recall is the process of accessing that information when needed. Both are essential for learning, problem-solving, and decision-making, but they can also decline with age, stress, or illness. But there are ways to naturally boost your memory and recall skills. How can I focus my attention better? How can I structure and organise the info...

Nobody likes getting up in the morning and looking in the mirror to find dreary bags and circles under their eyes. It can make you look tired and lower your self-confidence as you head to work, feeling like a zombie. But it’s more than just an aesthetic issue. More often than not, it’s an indication of poor health habits, and sometimes a sign of underlying medical conditions.  So what actually cau...

There are different types of anti-anxiety patches, but one of the most popular ones is from a company called NuCalm, they say that its discs provide the neurochemistry to accelerate the onset of the relaxation response. You may have seen them on celebrities like Meghan Markle, who was recently spotted wearing a NuCalm biosignal processing disc on her wrist. It’s a small blue sticker which claims t...

In case you haven’t noticed, running is very much in vogue these days. We talked about the London Marathon on Do You Really Know last month, but you don’t have to out yourself through the ordeal of a 26-mile distance to enjoy running. It can just as easily be a 20 or 30 minute jog in the park, or in the streets of your local area. And of course as with any trend in society, the running boom has ga...

Most of us have our smartphones on our person more or less all day, every day. Our photos, payment methods and a lot of personal data are stored on them. So we’re all wary of the risk of having them stolen when out in public. But did you know there’s another way someone can take control of your phone line without you even losing the device? It’s called sim swapping and while it’s not new, it’s bee...

When it comes to getting clean, some people prefer chilling in the bath for a good half an hour or more, while others like how quick and practical it is having a shower. Let’s consider the two choices from a health perspective. It's pretty common knowledge that taking a bath isn't very eco-friendly, in terms of water consumption. Of course there are variables at play here when comparing the two. W...

You may have heard the term "seenager" being used lately. It's a new buzzword that describes a demographic group that's becoming increasingly important in our society. In simple terms, a seenager is a senior teenager. It refers to people aged 55 and over who are still young at heart and refuse to let their age define them. Seenagers are active, social, and engaged in their communities. They're not...

Ever checked the time on your phone or TV set and seen a quirky number like 13:13, 11:11 or 20:20? Well of course you have, but what you may not know is there’s actually a name for such numbers: mirror hours! Basically, when you’re looking at a digital time display, you see a mirror time if the minute number and the hour number are the same. It refers to the symmetry you see on either side of the...

It doesn’t matter which fancy moisturizers or expensive skincare routine you use, nothing quite matches how your skin looks and feels after an intense workout. Just take a look in the mirror after you’ve finished exercising and you’ll likely see smooth skin and a glowing complexion. That’s right, in addition to the positive impact on our physical and mental health, exercise can also improve our sk...

Ever met someone… and forgotten their name almost instantly? Awkward, right, especially after chatting for a few minutes. But if that happens to you a lot, you’re definitely not alone. One reason is that first names don’t really mean anything on their own. They don’t tell you what someone looks like, what they do, or what they’re like. And our brains are much better at remembering information when...

Think back to when you were a kid and there was a type of vegetable you simply wouldn’t go near, let alone eat. It might have been broccoli, Brussels sprouts or spinach for example. Or perhaps another type of food like seafood, which now as an adult you actually quite like, or can tolerate at least. It’s not a coincidence; there are scientific explanations for why our taste preferences evolve with...

If you’ve got heavy legs, nighttime cramps, varicose veins or swelling in the legs, you may have blood flow issues. When you consider that our bodies contain an incredible 60,000 miles worth of blood vessels, it’s really not uncommon. Something like a varicose vein is usually relatively harmless. Other conditions include hemorrhoids, and phlebitis, which is a blood clot in a deep vein. Worse still...

The olive theory actually started trending on Tiktok as of early 2023, leading younger generations to get familiar with How I Met Your Mother and one of its most popular relationship theories. At the time of recording, the #olivetheory hashtag has accrued over 130M views. Fans of 2000s sitcom How I Met Your Mother can no doubt remember how the main character Ted Mosby is a hopeless romantic, and s...

Salt is a common ingredient in many foods, and it’s essential for our health. Salt is made up of sodium and chloride, two minerals that help regulate fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve and muscle function.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should consume less than 5 grams of salt per day, which is equivalent to about one teaspoon. However, most people eat more than that....

What is environmental racism? We’ve covered a lot of environmental issues on Do You Really Know? so regular listeners will be well aware of how the climate crisis is affecting the whole planet. But it’s important to also note how these problems don’t affect everyone equally. People in developing countries, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, are already feeling the impact on their income, phy...

We might like to think of our Western countries as progressive, and take pride in how our societies have evolved in recent decades to become more inclusive in many ways, including equality between men and women. The 2010s saw movements like #MeToo encourage women to make their voices heard. You could be forgiven for assuming that attitudes have shifted and that misogyny is thankfully on the declin...

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...

Overthinking can be a real cause of anxiety for some people. Have you ever struggled to get to sleep at night with all the thoughts running through your head? Does my new boss like me? Am I even cut out for this job? My kid just brought home a bad report card; are they going through a rough patch, or is it a sign of something more serious? Basically, your mind goes into overdrive and you feel like...

Ever thought about making your fridge as stylish as your wardrobe or living room? Afterall presentation is important. Welcome to the world of fridgescaping, a trend that’s taking TikTok by storm.  It’s all about transforming your fridge into a piece of art. Gone are the days of a simple, functional pantry. Now, you can adorn your fridge with beautiful vases, garlands, and even photos. How Does Fri...

You might be surprised to learn that the famous “www” in website addresses didn’t originate in Silicon Valley or New York, but at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known as CERN for short, which is situated on the French-Swiss border close to Geneva.  It was 1989 when British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea for a hypertext system. Essentially, it was a way to...

What fun it is to have an imaginary friend to blame when you get into mischief! If you have children, you may have experienced a rather amusing situation where your little one blames a friend from their imagination for the mess in their room or a broken object. At times like these, it’s hard to reprimand them, especially if they seem genuinely convinced of their innocence. The appearance of an ima...

With the rise of dating apps, it seems more common to have sex without being in love. Sex for sex's sake, promises to be mindless and commitment-free. In short: pleasure without the risk of pain, but this might not be the whole story.  Experts suggest that this trend reflects a deeper change in society. The separation of sex from love and emotional attachment is part of a broader societal shift to...

You may have seen headlines in recent weeks about a deeply shocking French court case. A man has admitted drugging his wife with powerful sedatives over a period of a decade and inviting as many as 80 local men to rape her during that time.  Due to the effects of the drugs she had been subjected to, the woman Gisèle Pélicot, had no idea of what was happening to her. The case has led to increased a...