Do you really know?

A Swiss survey from 2023 suggests they do: 73% of women said they never watch pornography, compared to just 17% of men. Talking about porn consumption is still taboo and even more so for women. Sexologist and psychotherapist Patrizia Anex says that’s no surprise. Admitting to watching and enjoying porn is still frowned upon, she explains. Many women do it quietly, fearing judgment. But do women ac...

We all know staying hydrated is crucial for feeling fit and healthy. The general recommendation is to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day. But let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to stick to that. Ideally, you shouldn’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water because thirst signals that your body has already lost about half a litre of water. But you might be surprised to learn that you...

There have been many films and documentaries about the thrill and struggle of climbing Everest and with social media it has become an ever more popular destination.  Just this year a French youtuber has broken audience records for his film ‘Kaizen’ about his challenge that he made to conquer Everest in just one year.  Over the past century, over 340 climbers have died on its peaks, with...

Period underwear came out in 2013 but has increased in popularity, largely as they claim to be better for the environment and easy to use. However, in January 2023 Thinx, a leading US manufacturer of period underwear who branded themself as a sustainable alternative to single-use menstrual products has just settled a lawsuit regarding the presence of PFAs, also known as “forever chemical...

After clocking out, who doesn’t crave a hearty meal after a hard day's work? But here’s the thing: your dinner choices could be tipping the scales. You’ve likely heard the old saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” And yes, that pauper’s plate might skip the starches. Why? How so? So, can you cozy up with carbs at night? In under 3 minutes, we answer yo...

Getting restorative sleep and putting an end to back pain are both good reasons to opt for quality bedding. And if another reason was needed: on average, we spend 7-9 hours in bed every night and around a third of our lives sleeping in total. The problem is it can sometimes be like diving into a sea of options when it comes to mattresses. The most common type is the foam mattress, which adapts to...

According to The Sun, scientists say that “the average person in the UK now consumes more than eight kilograms of chemical additives every year.” Of course with that being an average figure, it can shoot up even further for those who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods.  If you’ve ever looked closely at ingredients lists on the packaging of food you buy in your supermarket, you’ll have noticed...

Each of us has our own unique experience of social bonds, influenced by our childhood, previous relationships, and personality. And there’s actually a psychological theory that helps explain how we experience our relationships: attachment theory. In psychology, attachment is the strong bond between an individual and an "attachment figure." In most cases, our first attachment figure is the parent w...

According to The Cleveland Clinic, around one in four people are affected by bad breath. It’s also known as halitosis and bad breath can be a source of embarrassment. It’s sometimes caused by consuming certain well-known foods, like garlic, onion, cheese, and coffee for example.  But it can also be a symptom of an underlying health condition, such as pneumonia, gum recession, kidney disease a...

According to the UK’s Department for Education, girls still make up fewer students choosing A-level maths and physics and even fewer go on to study engineering or computer science at university. Yet these subjects often lead to some of the best-paid jobs. So, does this mean girls just aren’t as good at maths? So, what’s behind that shift? So what can be done to change that? In under 3 minutes...

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos… modern billionaires are in a league of their own. We’re often told that wealth comes from hustle, long hours, and smart decisions. But once you reach billionaire level we’re no longer talking about salaries, bonuses, or promotions. Take Jeff Bezos, for example. As of April 2025, Forbes estimated his fortune at around $236 billion. For comparison, the median...

You know how an orgasm usually goes, right? It starts with those little shivers, then the heat builds, your heartbeat picks up, everything’s racing and boom! It peaks, and then everything just… drops. Curtain closed, show’s over. But picture this: what if you stayed right before that point of no return? Stretching out the pleasure, teasing it, keeping it going… and going. Well, that’s basically wh...

Still in this day and age, the burden of being responsible for birth control falls mainly on women. You’ve got an almost endless list of reversible female methods, such as the pill, coil, vaginal ring and the implant, with new ones never ceasing to emerge. On the other hand, when it comes to male contraceptives, the options out there are pretty limited. Mentalities are evolving but there is little...

It may come as a surprise, but for some, summer isn’t always a time for rest and recharging. Quite the opposite, in fact. This phenomenon, known as “mid-year crisis” or “summer burnout,” is a type of seasonal depression that occurs during the summer months. According to The Guardian newspaper, symptoms include drowsiness, lack of appetite, decreased libido and energy, and a general feeling of bein...

LoFi, short for "Low Fidelity," it  blends elements of jazz with hip-hop rhythms, creating a relaxing soundscape. This genre has gained immense popularity, in part due to the YouTube channel *Lofi Girl*, which, as of October 2024, boasts over 14 million subscribers. The channel offers a 24/7 livestream of LoFi tracks designed to serve as ambient background music. Research on this topic offers...

We don’t know about you, but some nights we just can’t fall asleep without turning onto our stomach. And when we do, we seem to drift off more easily when not using a pillow. But we do sometimes wonder whether doing that could have any negative health impact. Just like your mattress and bed base, the pillow plays a key role in sleep quality, but it’s often the most overlooked part of our bedding....

On September 6th, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a 96-word statement in which he referred to “climate breakdown” having begun. It was in response to a report from the World Meteorological Organization, which highlighted the impact of record-breaking heatwaves across the globe this summer.  June, July, and August 2023 are the hottest three-month period ever recorded. The WMO sa...

In French, when someone is beautiful, you can say they’re  ‘canon’. The word itself means a general law, rule, princely or criteria by which something is judged, but when it comes to beauty it is simply means model that we elevate to the level of perfection. Except that this model has changed a lot over the centuries and across cultures. Those who are considered “canons” today would have been...

I don’t know about your love life, but let’s be honest; for most people having sex doesn’t work out as smoothly as what you see in the movies. Not only is the act itself idealised, but so is what comes after. On screen, you tend to see couples snuggling and drifting off in each other's arms, all cosy and serene.  But what movies tend to skip over is the part where you have to slip out of bed...

What are silent discos? Thanks for asking! I don’t know about you but I sure miss partying the night away. In the age of social distancing, most of us can barely remember what it’s like to be part of a crowd dancing together in a club. While we wait for life to slowly get back to how it was pre-Covid, you might be interested to know about another kind of party. Even your neighbours are unlikely to...

Have you ever found yourself in a debate with someone and realised as it goes on, that the person you’re talking to simply isn’t going to change their mind. That might be the case even if they’re expressing a controversial point of view, or saying something that goes against scientific evidence. It’s often because they’re so convinced their perspective is right that they can’t see any nuances in t...

Even during the summer, the mere idea of taking an ice cold shower may well be enough to give you the shivers. After all, the soothing feeling of warm water running over skin is what most people prefer. But a lot of social media content creators claim to have reaped health benefits from taking cold showers. They tend to talk about blood circulation, skin quality and the immune system. So do their...

Almost all kids are afraid of the dark, and sometimes that fear even lingers into adulthood. It's a shame really because, contrary to what you might think, darkness is actually not our enemy but a friend when it comes to drifting off to dreamland. Being exposed to light at night can have negative consequences on person’s health in the long-term. That’s according to a study by researchers at Northw...

What is mirror work ? It’s not easy to learn to love yourself and have good self-esteem. But here’s the good news: it is possible to work at it. That’s the main premise behind positive psychology and personal development at least. One particular new thought method from the United States has gained a significant following; it’s known as mirror work. Who invented mirror work then ? And what does the...

According to Mental Health UK, nearly one in five people in the country don’t get enough sleep. We’ve talked about various types of sleep disorder in the past on Do You Really Know and the link between good sleep and good health is well established. Many people turn to sleeping pills, but there’s a totally natural alternative which may actually yield better results. What's that? Why is s...