Do you really know?

As date night options go, the cinema is a timeless classic which can be both fun and romantic. Even in the age of “Netflix and chill”, there’s an appeal to the immersive experience you can only get watching a film on the big screen. So if you’re wondering what to do this Valentine’s Day, why not book a cinema visit? You may not be having a conversation, but you can interpret body language. If it’s...

“You’re hot and you’re cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down.”  So goes Katy Perry’s hit single Hot n Cold back in 2008, talking about a romantic relationship which is unstable due to one of the partner’s mood swings. Maybe you yourself have been with someone like that in the past. They would shower you with attention one day, only to ghost you the...

Do You Really Know talks about love for Valentine's Day on February 14th! To understand everything about love relationships and current dating methods, we decipher together the new concepts that make love today. With Valentine's Day less than a week away. But even though it's a highly commercialized tradition, many of you may find this holiday ridiculous, for a variety of reasons. For example, why...

Do You Really Know talks about love for Valentine's Day on February 14th! To understand everything about love relationships and current dating methods, we decipher together the new concepts that make love today. According to the Daily Mail, the “seven year itch” in relationships is now a thing of the past. The average relationship length is just two years and nine months, according to a UK survey...

Do You Really Know talks about love for Valentine's Day on February 14th! To understand everything about love relationships and current dating methods, we decipher together the new concepts that make love today. You’ve no doubt heard that certain foods can increase desire, or even improve sexual performance. Oysters, ginger, chocolate and strawberries are just a few examples of foods that supposed...

Moving house can be very stressful so here are some tips and advice to make it go as smoothly as possible. Moving house is also a great opportunity to declutter. It’s time to see what sparks joy in the words of Marie Kondo. Take some time to go through your belongings and decide what you need, use and want. There is no point in packing and moving a lot of things, especially if you plan to move the...

Do You Really Know talks about love for Valentine's Day on February 14th! To understand everything about love relationships and current dating methods, we decipher together the new concepts that make love today. As it turns out, the traditional relationship may be out of fashion. More and more millennials are considering sologamy as a lifestyle choice. The idea of getting married to oneself might...

Calimero is a black chick with a half-broken eggshell on his head. He’s always complaining about something or other, with “But it’s an injustice” being his favourite line. A more recent animated version of the cartoon appeared on Disney Junior in the UK in the 2010s. Maybe you can think of someone you know in real life who’s an eternal complainer. Is there any chance other people might think that...

As we enter 2023, we’re desperately looking for ways to combat human-induced climate change. It’s a worthy cause, but it’s clear that some irreversible effects have already happened, and that will continue for some time.  So it would be foolish not to prepare for the reality of living on a planet which has undergone significant warming. There’s relatively little known about how our bodies will rea...

You might be familiar with the expression ‘you make your own luck’ or with the idea of thinking positively to create a positive outcome - some people refer to it as ‘manifesting’. But now, a new trend on the social media platform TikTok has taken it one step further with what has been dubbed ‘lucky girl syndrome’. Essentially you tell yourself that everything just works out for you and that you ar...

Do You Really Know talks about love for Valentine's Day on February 14th! To understand everything about love relationships and current dating methods, we decipher together the new concepts that make love today. Pretty much every romantic relationship starts out with a first date, whether it's online, on an outdoor walk, over drinks or at a restaurant. But it turns out when some people choose the...

When it comes to washing our hair, many of us stick to a specific routine purely out of habit. It’s not uncommon for people to wash their hair with shampoo every day, which can actually have adverse effects. At the end of the scale, you’ve got those who’ve embraced the no poo movement and don’t use shampoo at all. The trend really took off during Covid-19 lockdown, although there is still somewhat...

Sleepwalking is a disorder that comes on during the deep sleep phase, from one to three hours after falling asleep. Episodes can last from 5 to 30 minutes and despite the condition’s name, they don’t always involve walking. Often people just rub their eyes, sit up on their bed or talk in their sleep.  According to the NHS, one in five children will sleepwalk at least once in their life. Meanwhile,...

Scandi lifestyle trends have been all the rage for a number of years now. Regular listeners may remember we’ve talked about Hygge and lagom on the show in the past. Well here’s another one from Sweden, and it’s just perfect for winter time.  Fika is basically a short break with friends, family or colleagues sharing a moment together while enjoying a hot beverage. On the face of it, the concept mig...

When it comes to news about the environment, it can feel like everything is doom and gloom. But we recently discussed how some people’s climate anxiety has turned into climate optimism of late, and that’s a trend that could continue this year. One piece of good news relates to depletion of the ozone layer. You may well have heard of the so-called “hole” in the ozone layer. Well, the name is a litt...

Until recently when confronted with arranging a funeral there has been a choice between burial or cremation. However, in parts of the US, Canada and soon the UK a third choice can be possible.  Aquamation or as it is known technically  “alkaline hydrolysis”   is an alternative to traditional burials. The body of the deceased is placed in a pressurised stainless steel vessel and immersed in a mixtu...

There are artistic movements which we’ve all heard of at least once, whether it be at school, in a museum or watching a cultural show on TV. But at the same time, it can be difficult to define them, and that’s why we’re here to help. Today we’re going to shed light on a 1960s anti-art movement known as fluxus. French-American cubist painter Marcel Duchamp invented the term anti-art in the early 20...

The end is nigh! Well at least it’s getting closer according to experts at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. They’re responsible for maintaining the symbolic Doomsday Clock, which represents how close we are to the end of the world. Midnight on the Doomsday Clock symbolises a potential global catastrophe to come. Each year, the Bulletin non-profit has its say on how close the world is getting...

The Troubles in Northern Ireland may have been over for 25 years now, but the painful memories are still there for many who lived through the period. One of the darkest days was Bloody Sunday, which refers to events that took place in Londonderry on 30th January 1972.  15,000 people, most of whom were Catholics, had taken to the streets of the city for a civil rights march. They were protesting pe...

Scented candles, air fresheners and even scented cleaning products  are all designed to make your home smell nice, clean and fresh.  But using them can reduce the air quality of your home and lead to a variety of potential problems.    For many people most of their  time is spent indoors and, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), levels of indoor air pollutants are typically m...

In today’s episode, let’s talk about a term which mixes sociology and lifestyle newspeak. Yuccies is an abbreviation for Young urban creatives.  The term started trending after American journalist David Infante introduced it in an article on Mashable in June 2015. Within weeks, the concept had been covered on many other websites, with the original article being shared over 75,000 times. How did In...

Whether it’s in the street, on public transport or at home, almost all of us use headphones or earphones to listen to music. Now music might bring us joy and a whole lot of other emotions, but when it’s too loud, it can also represent a risk for hearing health. And it’s not just the case with personal listening devices; the same is also true when going to entertainment venues like nightclubs, bars...

You’re no doubt familiar with IKEA as the king of flatpack furniture. But you may not be aware that the Swedish company’s name is also associated with a cognitive bias. It’s all to do with how we assign greater value to objects when we make or assemble them ourselves. Now that might seem counterintuitive but it’s become an established marketing tactic over the years. Studies by American researcher...

Social science research is becoming more and more fruitful. As a result, an almost endless list of terms are emerging, like 'white privilege' or 'ageism’, which we have already covered in past episodes of Do You Really Know? These studies often share the same objective and that is to shine a light on social phenomena we tend to dismiss, calling out persisting discrimination. The words 'ableism' an...

Antibiotics are critical to modern medicine, and have saved millions of lives since first being introduced in the mid-20th century. However, there are drawbacks to prescribing antibiotics when they’re not actually required. Of course there’s the issue of antibiotic resistance, which is seen as a major threat to human health. And there are also unwanted side effects of antibiotic use to take into a...