Do you really know?

In 2013, American actress Angelina Jolie made headlines by revealing in the New York Times that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy to reduce her risk of cancer. The procedure consists of removing both breasts and Jolie explained that a genetic test had shown she carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, significantly raising her chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer. A decade la...

As the years go by, those extra inches around the abdomen tend to sneak up on us, and that’s especially true once we hit our fifties. One major player is hormonal shifts. For women, the onset of menopause often brings about weight gain and a burgeoning belly, thanks to a decline in estrogen levels that prompts the body to store fat in the midsection.  And fellas, you're not off the hook either—age...

The butterfly effect is the idea that a small change in one part of the world can have huge consequences in another. It is often used as a metaphor for how our actions can shape the future in unpredictable ways. The term was coined by the American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz, who was studying the behavior of weather systems. He discovered that even tiny variations in the initial...

When a woman is heavily pregnant, holiday or travel plans don't typically top the priority list. After all, flying isn't generally recommended during the latter stages of pregnancy. But that hasn’t stopped the trend of birth tourism from developing. The basic idea is for a mother to give birth in a country different to where they live, essentially so that her child gets dual nationality. That may...

When it comes to what counts as being unfaithful in a relationship, everyone has their own definition. Some might say that only physical contact with another person is cheating, whereas others will argue that even a mildly flirtatious conversation is unacceptable. That's where the concept of micro-cheating comes into play. Micro cheating refers to seemingly minor actions that suggest a person is e...

Many people tend to exercise less during the colder months, preferring to stay indoors and avoid the chilly weather. But doing exercise in winter is a good idea for lots of reasons so don’t let the cold put you off.   Exercising in cold weather can offer many advantages for your physical and mental health. For example, according to a study published in March 2023 in BMC Public Health, winter worko...

Giving Tuesday is a worldwide initiative which encourages people to do good. The movement was created in the United States in 2012, and has since spread to have a presence in 75 different countries as of 2021. In 2022, like every year, Giving Tuesday is celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, meaning it falls on 29th November. A lot of companies and charities match donations to...

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...

How much attention do you pay to prices when doing your grocery shopping? In September 2023, UK consumer watchdog Which published research showing just how much cheaper budget brands can be. One striking example was the price of rice at Asda. Shoppers could get 1kg of Asda Just Essentials rice for 52 pence, while the store’s standard own-brand Easy Cook Long Grain White Rice was £1.80 for the same...

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...

If you’re a fan of Taylor Swift, it won’t have escaped your notice that the singer was back on tour this year across the United States. And what a tour it was! Fans were desperate to attend, and prepared to pay from $49 to $499 for the privilege, according to face value ticket prices quoted by Stylecaster.com. Meanwhile, resale ticket prices were in the thousands.  If that seems a lot, then you sh...

Gas cookers are a common feature in many kitchens, often preferred by chefs and home cooks for their precise temperature control but gas cookers emit a number of harmful substances when they are in use and even when they are off that can pollute the indoor air and harm your health. Nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, is a gas that is produced when natural gas is burned at high temperatures. It can damage yo...

According to an August 2023 report by human resources company MBO Partners, the number of Americans considering themselves digital nomads increased by 131% between 2019 and 2022. That means they can travel worldwide while staying connected to their work wherever they are. The Covid-19 pandemic led to remote work being normalised, when it had already been growing thanks to factors like globalisatio...

When it comes to health, it’s clear that gender differences play a significant role. It's now recognized that the occurrence of diseases, their onset age, symptoms, severity, and even responses to medications differ between men and women. The question of whether men and women perceive pain differently has been a topic of scientific discourse for quite some time. It’s an important matter too, as it...

Lemon water is a popular drink that many celebrities and wellness gurus swear by. But is it really as good as they claim? Or is it just another fad that has no scientific basis? Lemon water has been linked to several health benefits, such as hydration. Drinking enough water is essential for your overall health, as it helps prevent dehydration, which can cause fatigue, headaches, dry skin, and cons...

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...

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...

According to a Michael J Fox Foundation survey from 2013, 65% of Americans believe that ushumans use just 10% of our brains. That’s not really a surprise when you consider that the 10% figure has been quoted a lot over the years. Medical News Today says that it was referenced in 1936 by American writer Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Since then, it's been repeate...

Have you ever seen the Black Mirror episode called "Be right back"? It aired back in February 2013 and sees a character called Ash die in a car accident, leaving behind his pregnant wife Martha. During Ash's funeral, Martha’s friend Sarah tells her about a company which creates AI versions of dead people, by using personal data they had shared online. Initially reluctant, Martha eventually caves i...

You might try to avoid them whenever you can, opting for the lift or the escalator instead. But did you know that stairs can actually super-charge your fitness in seconds? In fact, climbing stairs has so many benefits for your health and well-being that you might want to rethink your attitude towards them.  Climbing stairs is a vigorous-intensity physical activity that increases your heart rate an...

An IPSOS study from late 2020 found that 45% of people across the world were trying to lose weight at the time. In many cases, losing weight is beneficial for health, but a lot of the time, people want to achieve unrealistic body images which are projected by the media as being ideal. Of course, a popular way of doing so is by dieting, but the subject of today’s episode is pretty much the opposite...

It’s common knowledge that autumn often sees people put on weight. But if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, there are some foods you can rely on to boost metabolism and thereby improve calorie burning. That’s because they increase thermogenesis, which is the production of heat in the body. That in turn stimulants our metabolism, forcing the body to use energy from its fat reserves. There are th...

A time optimist is someone who is overly optimistic about how much time they have to do something, and therefore often ends up being late or missing deadlines. They tend to underestimate how long tasks will take, overestimate how much they can accomplish in a given period, and ignore potential delays or interruptions. They may also have a distorted perception of time, losing track of how fast it p...

Nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas, is sold in metal canisters and is one of the most commonly used drugs by teenagers and young people. However, heavy use can lead to a host of problems. Prof Alastair Noyce, a consultant neurologist at Queen Mary University of London, told BBC News: "These are young people we are seeing - teenagers and people in their 20s. What's striking now is t...

Have you ever found yourself experiencing emotions like anger, frustration, or even affection towards your therapist? On the surface, it may seem like a surprising thing to happen. After all, you don't know much about their personal life, and there's no obvious reason for having such feelings. Fear not though; this happens more frequently than you might think; it’s actually pretty common. When you...