Do you really know?

Latest Episodes:

Why do we cry when we cut onions? Jun 29, 2024

Show notes

Ending up in tears when preparing a dish with onions can be pretty darn inconvenient. No sooner have you started chopping them up, you find your eyes getting watery and stinging.

Of course, those tears aren’t related to any feelings of sadness; rather they’re down to a series of chemical reactions. Like a lot of fruit and veg we buy at the supermarket, onions are still technically alive when harvested and sold. And they have certain defence mechanisms to protect themselves.

I would never have guessed! What kind of defence mechanisms are we talking about? What if none of those tips work for me? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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Could hot rodent men be the new male ideal?

Why are mini animals so popular?

Why does walking through doorways make us forget things?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Could hot rodent men be the new male ideal? Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

Society’s beauty standards constantly evolve, and sometimes in surprising ways. The terms "rodent man" and "hot rodent man" have gone viral on TikTok, racking up millions of views.

And the roots of those terms are pretty literal - they refer to men whose facial features are reminiscent of rodents like mice, rats or hamsters. I know, it might not seem like the most flattering of comparisons to start with, but it seems like rodent men are genuinely becoming the latest kind of sex symbol.

What does a "rodent man" look like then? Where did the term come from? Isn't calling someone a “hot rodent man” somewhat reductive? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why are mini animals so popular?

Why does walking through doorways make us forget things?

Could smartphone use be giving you text neck?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are mini animals so popular? Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

In late March 2024, actor Pierre Niney took to TikTok to reveal his newest love affair—not with a co-star, but with an adorable miniature donkey he’s recently adopted. The tiny equine, fully grown yet no larger than a Labrador, has captured the hearts of his fans. Social media is full with clips of tiny cows, goats, and pigs lounging on couches, napping in laps, or trotting on leashes, especially across the U.S. These diminutive creatures are becoming the increasingly sought after, a trend that’s sweeping the nation, but it’s not without its pitfalls.

The allure of miniature animals is multifaceted. For starters, social media is awash with their antics, sparking a growing fascination with owning one. Moreover, these videos suggest that you can enjoy the perks of farm life without owning a sprawling farm.

Why the Sudden Craze for Miniature Animals? So what's the problem? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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Why is my circadian rhythm so important?

Is it a bad idea to fall asleep in front of screens?

How can social media exposure lead to vicarious trauma?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could brain dumping help you manage your anxiety? Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Overthinking can be a real cause of anxiety for some people. Have you ever struggled to get to sleep at night with all the thoughts running through your head? Does my new boss like me? Am I even cut out for this job? My kid just brought home a bad report card; are they going through a rough patch, or is it a sign of something more serious?

Basically, your mind goes into overdrive and you feel like there’s nothing you can do about it. After all, thinking is natural, isn’t it, so how are you supposed to just stop? Well if you’ve tried meditation and to-do-lists but found they just weren’t of any use, here’s a new approach that might help lighten your daily burdens: it’s called brain dumping.

Isn’t that just like writing a journal? Does it really work though? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why is my circadian rhythm so important?

Is it a bad idea to fall asleep in front of screens?

How can social media exposure lead to vicarious trauma?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could smartphone use be giving you text neck? Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

According to data from Finder.com, the average Brit now spends 4 hours and 14 minutes using their smartphone each day. It’s hardly surprising; smartphone use has grown consistently over the last 15 years, to the extent that the devices have become almost like an extension of our arms and hands.

Given we tend to hold our phones out in front of us when using them, our heads bow down in quite an unnatural position to look at the screen. And doing so for extended periods can cause posture problems, which is what American chiropractor Dr Dean Fishman realised back in 2008. That was while examining a 17-year-old patient who had booked an appointment for neck pains and headaches. Fishman went on to coin the term “text neck” to describe her condition.

What exactly does text neck look like? What’s the difference between text neck and text neck wrinkles? What can people do to avoid bad postures and the complications that they cause? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why is my circadian rhythm so important?

Is it a bad idea to fall asleep in front of screens?

How can social media exposure lead to vicarious trauma?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it a bad idea to fall asleep in front of screens? Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

We’re surrounded by screens all day, right up until we go to bed. Our lives are intertwined with technology, from the smartphone alarms that wake us to the late-night emails we check. An Ifop study from April 2021 revealed a startling figure: 69% of those scrolling in bed battle with sleep disorders. And while we might think that a quick video or message thread could usher us into dreamland, the reality is, these habits impact both how quickly we fall asleep and the quality of our rest.

You might have heard about the notorious blue light emitted by screens. It’s like an unwanted alarm for our bodies, tricking our brains into thinking it’s still daytime and halting the production of melatonin, our natural sleep-inducing hormone. But it’s not just about the light; a UK study by the University of Oxford from 2016 found that smartphone addiction is linked to poor sleep, regardless of how long we’re glued to the screens.

In what ways do screens interfere with our sleep? Are there other consequences of dozing off to digital content? What’s the secret to a good night’s sleep in the screen-saturated world?

In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

How can social media exposure lead to vicarious trauma?

What is binge eating disorder?

How can I beat a hangover?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What should you do after having unprotected sex? Jun 22, 2024

Show notes

It’s happened to most of us at least once. A condom breaks, it turns out the girl forgot to take her pill, or you got carried away and had sex even though you didn’t have any condoms. These things happen, but the aftermath can be anxiety-inducing for a number of reasons.

A World Health Organisation report from May 2024 said that sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis in particular are on the rise. For example, the number of new syphilis cases among adults aged 15 to 49 increased from 7.1 million in 2020 to 8 million in 2022. The report suggested that a lack of screening was largely to blame.

What are the other main types of STIs then? What about the risk of unwanted pregnancy? What’s the best way to protect myself? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is auto-brewery syndrome?

What are five foods that make us happy?

What is the Queer movement?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are boomerang employees in the world of work? Jun 21, 2024

Show notes

You may remember that we talked about the Great Resignation a little while back on Do You Really Know. The trend saw millions of workers across the US quit their jobs in 2021 and 2022 in particular, with a similar pattern being seen in other Western countries too.

Well it might have seemed like a great idea at the time for a lot of those resignees, but it hasn’t been all rosy for some of them since. A 2023 survey by American HR solutions provider Paychex suggested that as many as 80% of workers who quit during the Great Resignation already regretted their decision to do so.

There’s always a good reason for having left a job though, isn’t there? Surely, it’s better to leave the past in the past?! Is the boomeranging trend really that common? What do employers stand to gain from taking back boomerang employees?

In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is auto-brewery syndrome?

What are five foods that make us happy?

What is the Queer movement?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is auto-brewery syndrome? Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

Imagine being drunk, without having drunk a single drop of alcohol, it seems completely implausible, and yet for some is a reality. South-West media shared the story of a motorist who appeared in court in Bruges in 2022 after being found to have too much alcohol in his blood twice in the same year. The man, in his forties, was eventually acquitted, proving that the tests were not the result of a night of drinking, but rather of auto-brewery syndrome.

Self-brewing syndrome, also known as intestinal fermentation syndrome, is when your body turns into a mini-brewery. Professor Alvarez, co-author of an analysis published on the subject in December 2020. says it’s when carbs ferment into ethanol right inside your gut, thanks to yeast. Normally, our gut yeast can’t brew enough booze to affect us. But for those with auto-brewery syndrome, it’s a different story. They’ve got an overabundance of yeast, and when too much sugar is consumed, it ferments into alcohol, leading to drunkenness.

What is it? And what are the consequences? Can it be treated? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

How are LGBTQIA+ people getting on at work?

Why is June Pride Month?

Where does the LGBT rainbow flag come from ?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the Queer movement? Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

Pride Month 2024 is in full flow and this week, Do You Really Know brings you a week-long exploration of topics aimed at deepening your understanding of LGBTQI+ history and struggles. Initially dubbed as LGBT rights, they've undergone changes alongside the evolving language of identity.

The term "gay" alone became way too narrow to encompass the entire community, leading to the adoption of LGBTQI+. And the letter "Q" specifically stands for "queer," a term with broader implications than its literal meaning of "strange." Oxford Languages defines it as “denoting or relating to a sexual or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms.”

When did the term Queer start to be used? What exactly does it mean to be "queer" then? How does the queer movement relate to other LGBTQI+ terms? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

How are LGBTQIA+ people getting on at work?

Why is June Pride Month?

Where does the LGBT rainbow flag come from ?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices