Do you really know?

If you were to turn on your TV right now, or open up Netflix, the chances of you stumbling upon a cheesy Christmas movie would be pretty high. They tend to be full of clichés, cringeworthy one-liners and predictable plots, but still we just can't seem to get enough.  Let’s take a moment to delve into the psychology behind Christmas movies, and how they got to be so successful. Mormon director Geor...

Do You Really Know, Bababam's daily podcast, helps you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. This week, we're looking back at 10 words and phrases that have been on everyone's lips in 2022. From the Uber Files leak to "shrinkflation" in stores or "quiet quitting" at work, refresh your memory on some of the events and phenomena that best sum...

Do You Really Know, Bababam's daily podcast, helps you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. This week, we're looking back at 10 words and phrases that have been on everyone's lips in 2022. From the Uber Files leak to "shrinkflation" in stores or "quiet quitting" at work, refresh your memory on some of the events and phenomena that best sum...

Christmas is seen as a season of joy, but it can also be a testing time for many people, whether it’s mentally, emotionally, physically or financially. And 2022 may be worse than most years in that respect. Most of the population are feeling additional pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis, and Christmas tends to be an expensive time. Furthermore, upsetting news stories have been dominating he...

Do You Really Know, Bababam's daily podcast, helps you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. This week, we're looking back at 10 words and phrases that have been on everyone's lips in 2022. From the Uber Files leak to "shrinkflation" in stores or "quiet quitting" at work, refresh your memory on some of the events and phenomena that best sum...

According to a study published in the Scientific Reports journal in 2017, the holiday season sees a peak in sex-related searches on Google and Twitter. The researchers behind the study also identified an increase in birth rates in late September, in other words nine months after Christmas of the previous year. So the evidence is there: for many of us, sexual desire increases at Christmas time. The...

Christmas is almost upon us, and many of us see Coca Cola as being intrinsically linked to the season’s celebrations. That’s in no small part due to their iconic “Holidays are coming” TV adverts, like the 2019 version you can hear in the background. Indeed, it’s such a strong connection that many people wonder whether Santa Claus wears red because of Coca Cola. In fact, the idea of a kind-hearted...

If you have ever been to London over Christmas then you could not have missed the lights on oxford street and of course the huge Christmas tree standing proud in Trafalgar Square. But it is a little-known fact that this tree is actually a gift from Norway. The very first tree was offered to England back in 1947 and every year since a tree is given to the British people from Norway to thank them fo...

Christmas need not be a frenzy of shopping and unwanted gifts; more and more of us want to be mindful, minimal-waste consumers so here are some tips on how to have an eco-friendly Christmas.  Real trees are more sustainable than artificial, but there is still a lot of waste, once Christmas is over go to recyclenow.com  to find out about drop-off points in your area, where old trees get turned into...

Do You Really Know, Bababam's daily podcast, helps you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. This week, we're looking back at 10 words and phrases that have been on everyone's lips in 2022. From the Uber Files leak to "shrinkflation" in stores or "quiet quitting" at work, refresh your memory on some of the events and phenomena that best sum...

This week marks the start of Hanukkah, so listen to our rerun episode that looks at the history and customs related to the annual Jewish festival which falls in December each year. It's often known as the festival of Lights, and its origins go back as far as 22 centuries!  The celebration is synonymous with commemorating a miracle. According to rabbinic tradition and ancient texts, Hanukkah repres...

National Grid has warned of potential blackouts in the UK this winter, due to gas shortages. If it does happen, it would be the first time the country has seen controlled blackouts since the 1970s. The government has its Electricity Supply Emergency Code in place in case we end up in such a situation. The government plan sees rolling blackouts, with areas split into 18 different load blocks, each...

Now if you’re anything like us, you get your Christmas tree, baubles and tinsel out before November has even ended! And as it turns out, psychologists say there could be mental health benefits to having Christmas decorations up in the house. So there’s no shame in wanting to get festive as early as possible.  Improving your mood to start with. This is often linked to feelings of nostalgia. We thin...

Here we are, it’s one week until Christmas Day, meaning it’s your last chance to buy gifts for loved ones. There’s always a certain amount of pressure on givers to get their choice right, which can lead to stress. Gifts at Christmas are pretty much expected, so you have to do a little better than with a spontaneous gift at any other time of the year. Fear not, science is here to help you hit the n...

On the night of 24th November 2022, a locked down building caught fire in Urumqi in the majority-Uyghur Xinjiang region of China. Firefighters were held back by the sealed entrance to the building, in place due to the latest strict Covid-19 lockdown measures. 10 people ended up dying in the fire. The following day, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities across China. Grievan...

As the cold weather closes in, it's time to put on the heating but there are plenty of ways to efficiently heat your home and save money. 46 percent of people believe it is better to leave the heating on low at all times however, according to experts from the Energy saving Trust it is better to only put the heating on when you need it. The reason is that your home is constantly losing heat and if...

It could be a Christmas tree, a skier in a bobble hat, a team of reindeer, a snowman or Mr Santa Claus himself. OK no need to guess, we’re talking about motifs that you could find on an ugly Christmas sweater. It’s truly become a popular gift option and wardrobe staple of the holiday season in recent years. The concept originated with commercial impetus in the 1950s in the United States, before ga...

Prior to February 2022, the scenario of a women’s basketball star being traded for an arms dealer might have seemed inconceivable. But that’s exactly what happened last week, when Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners at Abu Dhabi airport. Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner was arrested a week prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine beginning, for allegedly possessing cannabis oil in...

Last weekend brought snowfall across much of the United Kingdom, offering a clear sign that winter is here. Now with temperatures this low, the instinct for many of us may be to cuddle up in bed under a blanket. But the subject of today’s episode is all about getting outdoors whatever the weather. Friluftsliv is a Norwegian term that more or less translates as “open-air living”. You could call it...

Surprising as it may seem, balance is more important than you might think. In September of 2022 the British Journal of Sports Medicine published the results of a ten year study which involved more than 1,700 middle-aged participants. They concluded that not being able to balance was associated with an almost twofold increase in risk of death.    Volunteers were asked to stand on one leg with their...

32 years ago today, Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, saw unprecedented student protests. As night fell on June 3rd 1989, the Chinese military entered the square with a number of tanks and opened fire on the unarmed crowd.  The number of deaths is estimated between 1,000 and 2,000, in what became known internationally as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Thus ended seven weeks worth of pro-de...

When it comes to expressions about skin, the English language is not lacking. For example, we can be thick or thin skinned, or have someone under our skin. To show indifference, we say “it’s no skin off” our noses, and when we get excited we “jump out of” our skin.  The sheer number of different idioms reflects the deep links the skin has with our brains. Sometimes these links are visible and give...

Winter is coming and this year in particular people are wondering how to strike the right balance between comfort at home and continually rising energy bills. The World Health Organisation suggests that 18° C is the perfect temperature to set your heating to, but in reality that is just an average. There are a number of variables to take into account.  For example, certain rooms might need to be h...

This small butterfly-shaped gland is situated at the bottom of the neck, wrapped around the windpipe. It plays an important role in a number of bodily functions, but isn’t as well known as it should be.  According to The American Thyroid Association, over 12% of the country’s population will develop a thyroid disorder at some point in their life. Many people are actually unaware of the fact that t...

This Saturday sees the 2022 Nobel Prize award ceremony take place in Stockholm. Like every year, it’s held on 10th December, to coincide with the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Tradition also dictates that the Prize laureates are announced in October. This year’s laureates include Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger in Physics, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morton Meldal and K. Barry Sh...