Do you really know?

Latest Episodes:

Do we really use just 10% of our brains? Nov 18, 2023

Show notes

According to a Michael J Fox Foundation survey from 2013, 65% of Americans believe that ushumans use just 10% of our brains. That’s not really a surprise when you consider that the 10% figure has been quoted a lot over the years.

Medical News Today says that it was referenced in 1936 by American writer Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Since then, it's been repeated over and over in newspaper articles, TV programs and films. One example is Luc Besson’s 2014 sci-fi action film Lucy, in which the character Professor Norman, played by Morgan Freeman, states: “It is estimated most humans use only 10% of their brain capacity.”

Where does the idea come from then? Are you saying we actually use all of our brains then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

How is AI giving a voice to the dead?

Why is climbing stairs so good for you?

Am I in a situationship?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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How is AI giving a voice to the dead? Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever seen the Black Mirror episode called "Be right back"? It aired back in February 2013 and sees a character called Ash die in a car accident, leaving behind his pregnant wife Martha. During Ash's funeral, Martha’s friend Sarah tells her about a company which creates AI versions of dead people, by using personal data they had shared online. Initially reluctant, Martha eventually caves in and tries the service. As a result, she’s able to chat with an Android Ash as if he was alive.

Now, Black Mirror is well known for delving into possible future technological developments, which are sometimes purely the stuff of fantasy. But the scenario portrayed in that particular episode may become widespread in the near future.

Are we saying this may actually be possible then? Do businesses see a lot of potential in deadbots? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

Why is climbing stairs so good for you?

Am I in a situationship?

Which foods are best for burning fat?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

Why is climbing stairs so good for you? Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

You might try to avoid them whenever you can, opting for the lift or the escalator instead. But did you know that stairs can actually super-charge your fitness in seconds? In fact, climbing stairs has so many benefits for your health and well-being that you might want to rethink your attitude towards them.

Climbing stairs is a vigorous-intensity physical activity that increases your heart rate and oxygen consumption. This boosts your cardio-respiratory fitness, which is a measure of how well your heart and lungs can deliver oxygen to your muscles.

What else? And can stair climbing boost my mental health? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

What is intuitive eating? Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

An IPSOS study from late 2020 found that 45% of people across the world were trying to lose weight at the time. In many cases, losing weight is beneficial for health, but a lot of the time, people want to achieve unrealistic body images which are projected by the media as being ideal.

Of course, a popular way of doing so is by dieting, but the subject of today’s episode is pretty much the opposite of a traditional diet. Advocates of intuitive eating say that not only are diets not necessarily effective, but they also promote a complex and sometimes unhealthy relationship with food. That’s particularly true when it comes to extreme diets, like the Paleo diet or a juice diet.

Where does the term come from? Isn't it normal to eat when hungry? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

Which foods are best for burning fat? Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

It’s common knowledge that autumn often sees people put on weight. But if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, there are some foods you can rely on to boost metabolism and thereby improve calorie burning. That’s because they increase thermogenesis, which is the production of heat in the body. That in turn stimulants our metabolism, forcing the body to use energy from its fat reserves.

There are three main types of fat burning food. Firstly, those which see our bodies burn more calories digesting them than they actually contain. Then you’ve got those which are rich in fibre or protein and therefore make you feel full quickly. Finally there are those which possess active ingredients which boost your metabolism, causing you to burn calories.

What are some examples then? What about other types of food apart from vegetables? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

Are you a time optimist? Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

A time optimist is someone who is overly optimistic about how much time they have to do something, and therefore often ends up being late or missing deadlines. They tend to underestimate how long tasks will take, overestimate how much they can accomplish in a given period, and ignore potential delays or interruptions. They may also have a distorted perception of time, losing track of how fast it passes or how much is left.

Time optimists are not necessarily lazy or irresponsible. They may have good intentions and high ambitions, but they lack realistic planning and prioritisation skills. They may also suffer from procrastination, perfectionism, or fear of failure, which prevent them from starting or finishing tasks on time.

Are there any benefits to being a time optimist? And how can you become more punctual and productive if you are a time optimist? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

What are the dangers of using nitrous oxide - the laughing gas drug? Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

Nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas, is sold in metal canisters and is one of the most commonly used drugs by teenagers and young people. However, heavy use can lead to a host of problems.

Prof Alastair Noyce, a consultant neurologist at Queen Mary University of London, told BBC News: "These are young people we are seeing - teenagers and people in their 20s. What's striking now is the severity. We've seen that increase over the last 12 months or so." Nitrous oxide is a gas that can be used for medical purposes, as an anaesthetic, and in the food industry.

Why do people use Nitrous oxide? What are the dangers? What is being done about this? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

First broadcast: 21/03/2023

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What is a transference in psychiatry? Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever found yourself experiencing emotions like anger, frustration, or even affection towards your therapist? On the surface, it may seem like a surprising thing to happen. After all, you don't know much about their personal life, and there's no obvious reason for having such feelings.

Fear not though; this happens more frequently than you might think; it’s actually pretty common. When you go to see a therapist, you're not a blank slate – you bring along your emotional baggage and it's not unusual to project those emotions onto the person across from you, who’s serving as a mediator. This is known as transference.

Why does it happen? Can the reverse ever happen, with a therapist having feelings toward a patient? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

What happens to your online life after you die?

How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

Does cold weather really make us sick? Nov 12, 2023

Show notes

"Wrap up warm, or you'll catch a cold!" No doubt you heard that advice a lot as a child, and you may well still hear it as an adult. For a long time, scientists were skeptical about the idea that simply being exposed to the cold could make a person sick. After all, to get sick, you need to actually come into contact with a microbe, like a virus. And cold weather itself isn't a disease.

But recent developments suggest there may actually be some truth to the idea. In December 2022, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study by a team of American researchers, who had looked into how cold weather affected immunity in the nose. The researchers explained that our nasal mucous membranes, and in particular the extracellular vesicles, act as the first line of defense in our immune system against viral attacks.

What do we know now that we didn’t before? But is the cold the sole culprit? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health?

What happens to your online life after you die?

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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

What is coffee badging in the workplace? Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the relationship many white-collar employees have with work. And that’s particularly true when it comes to remote work; which some of them now see as a non-negotiable. And a lot of other employees have made it clear they don’t want to return to full-time office life.

Nevertheless, many CEOs were keen to get their staff back into the office once the pandemic started to ease. Some companies ended up coming to hybrid arrangements as a kind of compromise. That’s still not enough for some though and it has led to signs of retaliation, in the form of trends like quiet quitting or “act your wage” which we’ve talked about in past episodes of Do You Really Know?. Today, we’re talking about coffee badging specifically, which is a kind of hack employees are using to fulfil office day mandates without actually spending too much time in the office.

What does the “badge” part mean? And is it a positive thing? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

What happens to your online life after you die?

How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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