Do you really know?

The idea of a broken heart may make you think of a cartoon, an emoji or a bad break-up from your past. But broken heart syndrome is a real physical condition, which is also known as Tako-tsubo. Good guess but just wide of the mark. Tako-tsubo syndrome was described for the first time in Japan, at the start of the 1990s. Researchers in the western world didn’t acknowledge the condition until severa...

Sex can certainly make us work up a sweat; but is it enough to cancel out that burger and fries you got from McDonald’s at lunchtime?  Well if you were thinking about quitting the gym in favour of sex-ercise, you may want to reconsider. Sex doesn’t actually burn as many calories as you might think.  How many are we talking then? Does the position make a difference? If it’s not that intense, then w...

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 brain plays a central role in desire, arousal, and sexual pleasure, but we don’t always realize just how much it influences our sex lives. While hormones and physical attraction are important, it’s the brain that processes emotions, triggers pleasure, and coordinates physical responses. According to neuroscientists, every part of the brain is involved in sexuality. The hypothalamus regulates h...

Whether it's a matter of courtesy or preventing the spread of germs, it's not uncommon for people to hold back a sneeze. When this happens, the intercostal muscles contract strongly, but without the release of air if the nose is pinched or the mouth is closed. However, sneezing is a natural bodily reflex designed to expel dust, microbes, or any other irritating substances from the nasal cavity. Ou...

What is flexitarianism? Thanks for asking! Flexitarianism is a portmanteau word combining flexible and vegetarianism. It’s a mostly vegetarian way of eating which nevertheless allows for occasional meat dishes. The aim is to reduce red meat and animal protein consumption, replacing them with high-protein plant foods. This type of diet is becoming increasingly common, and the word flexitarian was a...

Meditation is often sighted as a great way to relax, reduce stress and help us focus, but it can be difficult for lots of people to do in the traditional sense. However, meditation can be achieved without ever sitting down cross legged and focusing on your breathing. “The whole idea with mindfulness is training your brain, you can do this just as well by being intentionally mindful throughout the...

Ah, the G-spot... An often cited but frequently elusive erogenous zone which has a reputation of being able to unlock intense female orgasms if you know how to stimulate it the right way.  The G-spot was first discovered by German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg - hence the G part of the name - back in 1950. But the term was only coined in his honour in the 1980s, by a group of researchers who were...

Some theories in evolutionary psychology propose that men are better at spatial navigation than women due to evolutionary factors. In prehistoric times, men, as hunters, traversed long distances, while women stayed closer to the home.   This difference supposedly led to natural selection favouring genes in men associated with better spatial navigation skills. However, these theories have been wide...

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...

You might be the kind of person that meticulously fills your fridge with your groceries ensuring that every item is in the correct spot or perhaps you just shove them in wherever there is space but there is actual science behind how to best fill your fridge to keep things fresh and avoid waste. But everything you thought you knew may no longer be valid as the UK food authority has just updated its...

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 cons...

Vaping has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people. A 2022 report from Action on Smoking and Health found that an estimated 4.3 million people vape in Great Britain, a figure that is massively up from 800,000 a decade ago. It’s often touted as a safer alternative to smoking, but have you ever wondered what it actually does to your body? Or whether it comes with i...

No one's proud of being unfaithful, but what if some people’s cheating was actually caused by genetics, rather than selfishness? That might sound like a convenient excuse, but actually there could be some scientific basis behind it. In 2022 researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia analysed the DNA of over 7,300 twins aged between 18 and 49, all of whom had been in relationships for...

The thought of taking a mammogram is often scary for women, but it’s a highly important medical exam, and one we should bear in mind in the context of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Like with any type of cancer, the earlier breast cancer is detected, the better the patient’s chances of recovery. And a mammogram can detect abnormalities that are too difficult to spot by only sight and touch. Why ar...

Vitamin D is known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, and it’s not for nothing. Our bodies make it from cholesterol when exposed to sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet B rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy needed for vitamin D synthesis to occur. Naturally, during autumn and winter, there’s less sunlight and government advice suggests that everyone should consider taking Vitamin D sup...

Whether you’re watching a horror film, or exposed to a sudden loud noise, all of us have jumped at some point when scared. The body’s response to getting startled is all too familiar: tense muscles, a racing heartbeat and a twitching neck, among others. But there’s still a lot of mystery behind the phenomenon.  Jolting is actually a natural and adaptive defensive response that helps our bodies avo...

Most people know buckwheat as the flour used for pancakes or blinis. But it’s actually so much more than that! Even though it’s often used as a wheat alternative, buckwheat isn’t a cereal at all. It’s a flowering plant, and its seeds can be prepared in a ton of different ways. Plus, it’s got a whole load of nutritional benefits. Why is it good for you then? Does buckwheat have any other advantages...

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 with...

Depersonalization, a dissociative psychological syndrome, can be incredibly destabilising. It often takes years for sufferers to identify it. Characterised by altered self-perception, individuals may feel dead, detached, or anaesthetised. They might not recognize themselves in the mirror and struggle to distinguish between reality and a dream. According to Stanford University School of Medicine, t...

We spend a lot of time in bed and there is nothing nicer than snuggling up in clean fresh sheets but apparently not everyone feels the same. According to a survey commissioned by Pizuna Linens of over 2 thousand people in the UK  it was discovered that 45 percent of single men are happy to wait up to four months to wash their sheets with a horrifying 12 percent only doing it ‘when they remembered’...

“The enemy of success”; “the thief of time”; “the grave in which opportunity is buried”. Those are just three ways in which procrastination has been described in the past. And according to IE University, “several studies have linked procrastination to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and overall poor mental health.” You may remember a while back we ran an episode on how to beat procrastinatio...

Beauty standards are always shifting. Back in the '60s through the '90s, especially in the West, the ideal body for women was all about being slim, think long, lean silhouettes and flat bottoms. But by the late '90s and especially in the 2010s, that completely flipped. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj helped usher in a new trend, one that celebrates curves, especially a fuller derri...

Ever feel like a grey cloud is hanging over you? Life seems a bit gloomy, and your days are dull. You’re craving a change, but you’re stuck in a rut. Well,  there is good news and  the solution might be much closer than you think. Sometimes, all it takes is tweaking one or two elements of your day to transform your life. Enter the ‘Yes Man’ technique. Where does it come from? Should You Say Yes to...

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 mixe...