Do you really know?

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...

Lying is the act of deliberately making a false statement or concealing the truth. People might lie for different reasons, like to avoid getting into trouble, to get something they want, to make someone feel better, or to look good in front of others. However, lying is not always easy or comfortable. When people lie, they have to deal with two conflicting realities: the truth and the lie. This can...

How do you react when a piece of food you’re eating falls to the floor? Some people would throw it away in disgust, while others would still eat it, perhaps after rinsing it under water or blowing on it. Of course, there’s those that abide by the five second rule. That’s the popular belief that suggests any food is still fit for consumption as long as it hasn’t been on the floor for longer than fi...

Ever since they were first introduced in the United States in 1973, barcodes have been part of our everyday consumer lives. They helped stores around the world transition to digital, but their days are numbered.  That’s right, traditional barcodes are due to be gradually replaced by 2D versions as part of a worldwide initiative called Sunrise 2027. It’s led by GS1, the nonprofit standards organiza...

It’s common to feel a little anxiety on a Sunday evening as your relaxing weekend draws to a close and you start thinking about your return to the office the following morning. Indeed, a YouGovAmerica survey published in 2021 found that 58% of workers said Monday was their least favourite day of the week. With that in mind, American startup founder Marisa Jo Mayes created and trademarked the Bare...

A recent report from CyberCrew revealed how UK residents spend an average of 110 minutes per day on social media. Many of us start scrolling before we’ve even got out of bed in the morning, in an almost automatic way. Social networks can have a similar effect on the brain to certain addictive substances. According to Healthline.com, they stimulate the brain’s reward system. When you log in to your...

Botox is the name of a brand that offers a popular cosmetic treatment that involves injecting a toxin into the facial muscles to reduce wrinkles and signs of aging. The poison that they use, botulinum toxin, blocks the nerve signals that instruct the muscles to contract so make the appearance of fine lines, like crows feet or frown marks appear smoother. It can also be used in some medical procedu...

“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”, the saying goes. And there’s actually a name for that phenomenon: the Matthew Effect. The term was first coined by sociologists Robert K. Merton and Harriet Zuckerman in 1968, in relation to how “already eminent scientists were given disproportionate credit in cases of collaboration or of independent multiple discoveries.” In other words, if a group o...

Stealth wealth or quiet luxury as it is sometimes known is the practice of concealing one's wealth or not flaunting one's money or possessions, but rather keeping them private and discreet. It’s the kind of luxury that keeps a low profile and doesn't try to stand out with big logos or loud statement pieces. But that does not mean people don’t know you are wealthy, at least some people do. Look at...

The European Political Community was launched in 2022 to discuss the future of Europe, mainly in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron first suggested the EPC’s creation in a speech to the European Parliament back in early May. Less than six months later, the first summit was held in Prague. Despite initially opposed to the creation of the EPC back in June as F...

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping. It allows our mind and body to recharge, which is vital for a number of reasons. It helps our immune system to ward off diseases, and the brain to function properly. And yet as many as 16 million adults in the UK suffer from sleepless nights, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. You may have noticed that your own optimal sleep...

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...

You might think that plants are silent and passive, but recent studies have shown that they can actually make sounds and send signals to each other, especially when they are stressed or under attack. Researchers at Tel Aviv University recently released their findings from a six-year experiment, which saw them record sounds emitted by certain plants. We’ve actually known for over 10 years now that...

In today’s ultra-connected society, more and more technologies are emerging all the time, and they’re getting increasingly advanced. Just look at how far AI has come in recent times, and the attention it’s been getting since the launch of ChatGPT. In many ways, it’s difficult to not use technology. To not do so would be like cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world. But still, it’s not to...

Buckingham Palace’s coronation invitations that have been sent out for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6 have confirmed that instead of ‘princess consort’ or ‘queen consort’ Camilla shall be official Queen Camilla, something that has been suspected for some time. According to some sources, Charles always intended to make Camilla his queen, but he waited for the right time to announce it....

With inflation at the highest it’s been in 45 years, it’s no wonder people are looking for ways to manage their money more effectively. And the trend we’re talking about today has really taken off on Tiktok since the start of the year. The #cashstuffing hashtag had already reached 1 billion views on the platform at the time of recording. There’s actually nothing new about cash stuffing; in many wa...

Snus originally comes from Sweden, but is also consumed a lot in other Nordic countries like Denmark and Norway, as well as the United States. It’s made headlines in the last few months, with young people using it more and more.  The latest media discussions have centred on a number of Premier League footballers being spotted using snus on camera. It’s a semi-legal cigarette alternative, which com...

If you ever meet a member of the royal family, you might be tempted to ask them for a selfie or an autograph but don’t be surprised if they politely decline. There are some good reasons why royals don’t take selfies or give autographs as well as a whole host of other rather unusual protocols that they must adhere to.  Royals are often surrounded by crowds of people who want to see them or talk to...

Being a grafter or hustler is often portrayed in a positive light when it comes to the world of work. But there are a host of negative consequences that can arise when a person becomes a workaholic. The term was invented by American psychologist Wayne Oates back in 1971. Oates said workaholics had “an uncontrollable need to work incessantly”, and called it an addiction. It’s a real mental health c...

ChatGPT has been invading all walks of life in recent months, and that even includes the justice system. In late March 2023, a Pakistani judge consulted the chatbot before granting bail to a 13 year old boy who stood accused of kidnapping and attempting to rape a 9 year old. According to Pakistan Observer, the judge asked ChatGPT the following initial question: ““Can a juvenile suspect in Pakistan...

In recent years, gluten-free diets have become more and more popular. No doubt you’ve seen “Free From” aisles in your local supermarket, and you can also get gluten-free items in health food shops or online. Some people have no choice but to adopt such a diet, because they have coeliac disease, a lifelong autoimmune condition which causes their body to attack its own tissue when gluten is consumed...

The past year has seen the highest inflation rates in over 40 years, and consumers have adapted by changing their shopping habits. That’s particularly true when it comes to grocery shopping. While annual inflation fell slightly to 10.1% in the year to March 2023, figures for food and drink alone reached 19.1%. If you break it down further, for some food categories, the rate is even higher; for exa...

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 inf...

We all have to deal with tricky dilemmas and situations from time to time, the kind which we just can’t seem to get out of our head, that keep us up at night. It might be a fight with a friend, a work-related conflict or an urge to up sticks and move away for example. Weighing things up endlessly can lead to a vicious circle of anxiety, which pollutes the mind. Well, there’s no magic solution for...

The mukbang phenomenon has been around for nearly 15 years, but only really took off on Youtube and then Tiktok in the last few years. A simple search on either of the platforms yields an endless list of clips, many of which have view counts in the millions. Mukbang involves people filming themselves while eating. The streamers are known as broadcast jockeys, or BJs for short, and they often eat c...