The Why Factor

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Why are Open Plan Offices the Norm? Feb 15, 2013

Show notes

Millions of us work in open plan offices, whether in modern, efficient buildings with the latest technology and design, or in more traditional set-ups with rows and rows of desks. Mike Williams asks why the open plan office has become the norm in many places, and whether they are as good for the workers, as for the bosses’ bottom lines.

Open plan offices have many advantages: a higher density of people means big savings in real estate costs. They also make it easier to communicate, help or seek help from co-workers. They even make your boss seem more accessible. But the downsides are considerable. People find they get distracted by co-workers’ phone calls and conversations and scientists report that this impacts on your concentration and productivity.

(Photo: Image of workers in an open plan office. Credit: BBC)

Black Feb 08, 2013

Show notes

From the mythology of night time and darkness, to being rebellious and cool, to a word which has come to define a race of people, black, as a colour and a concept, has always meant many things. Why?

Where do positive and negative ideas that have been associated with black come from, how much resonance do they still hold today? Mike Williams peers into the world of black, its science, history, psychology and politics and asks why black has so many different meanings.

(Image of black and white grid, BBC Copyright)

The Mob Feb 02, 2013

Show notes

Why do we behave differently in crowds? An “angry” mob and “herd mentality,” – are terms frequently used to describe events like the London Riots of 2011. But is there really something in us that changes when we are in a large crowd?

The French 19th Century psychologist Le Bon, believed that in a crowd we lose our minds, our sense of self and with it our moral compass. If he’s right, can we really be responsible for our actions when we are in a crowd? And should this be taken into consideration in criminal trials?

Or do large crowds have their own social identity, an identity which can be peaceful or violent. Some social psychologists think the difference between an angry mob and a peaceful crowd often depends on how that crowd is treated by the authorities. Are they right? Or is the morphing of a crowd into a mob a completely random phenomena?

(Image: A general view of a crowd in the Mall, credit Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)

Mirrors Jan 26, 2013

Show notes

Each day billions of us look into a mirror without giving it a second thought but do we really understand what we’re seeing?This week, Mike Williams explores the science and history behind the mirror and hears about the myths and mysteries of this everyday object.

(Image of customers seen in a mirror as they shop for goods. AFP PHOTO. Credit to Louisa Gouliamaki - Getty Images)

The Boxers of Bukom Jan 18, 2013

Show notes

Why has the tiny area of Bukom in Accra, produced five World Champion boxers, including Ghana’s greatest ever fighter, ‘The Professor’ Azumah Nelson? What does this area tell us about raw talent versus environment in the nature/nuture debate? Why are the men of Bukom so good at boxing? Find out with Mike Williams on the Why Factor.

(Image of Azumah Nelson trading blows during a bout in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty)

The Heel Jan 11, 2013

Show notes

Why do tens of millions of women all over the world choose to walk around on stilt like objects called heels?

Where did the fascination with elevated footwear come from and what do they tell us about class, power and sex?

It may surprise many to hear that high heels were first worn by….men.

(Image: Photograph taken of a lady in heels by Maria Pavlova - Getty)

Nitrogen: Forgetting Fritz Jan 04, 2013

Show notes

Why has one of the world’s most important scientists been forgotten?

He worked with something without which, we'd all be dead. It's in our DNA and the plants we eat could not exist without it.

Fritz Haber was the brilliant German, Jewish chemist who used nitrogen to help feed billions but also used science to prolong the First World War where tens of thousands met a dreadful end.

With Mike Williams.

(Image: Fritz Haber Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Manners Dec 28, 2012

Show notes

On the programme today, the strange customs and conduct that make up ‘good manners’. Where do they come from? What purpose do they serve?

And how do they change from place to place?...We’ll serve up linguistics, civility, civilisation and some gender politics too.

(Image of English film actor Roger Moore opening the door of his Volvo for Isabelle McMillan in a scene from the television series 'The Saint' Credit: Getty Images)

The Sackman (and other stories) Dec 21, 2012

Show notes

Sinister tales of characters that terrorise adults and children at night pervade our cultures and have been handed down from generation to generation over the centuries, be that Kenya’s Nightrunners with their supernatural powers or the European Sackman – the monster or man, who takes away naughty children in a sack. In Iceland and the Netherlands this Child Catcher comes at Christmas, an altogether different version of the American Santa Claus. Why do we tell each other these stories? And what happens when folklore meets the modern world?

(Image of girl having nightmare Credit: Maria Pavlova, Getty)

The Drum Dec 14, 2012

Show notes

Why are human beings compelled to tap their feet or bob their heads to the beat of music?

It seems like a very basic thing to do. But no other animal is able to synchronise their whole body to a beat in the way we do, and very few other animals can even recognise a beat.

Mike Williams goes in search of where exactly in our bodies we feel this beat and what evolutionary purpose the ability to drum and move to the drum beat might have had.

(Image of a man playing drums - credit: Getty)

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