The Why Factor

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Why scarcity can damage decision making Nov 05, 2018

Show notes

Ayeisha Thomas-Smith discovers how when we suffer a scarcity of mental resources, we fail to plan for our futures. That means, according to Princeton psychology professor Eldar Shafir, that millions of people on low incomes where money is scarce are finding it much harder than others to improve their lives. Not because they are untalented or do not want to, but because their brain circuitry is overloaded. And the professor believes even people who are not short of money but are trying to lose weight, could also be impacted by this scarcity mindset. Ayeisha hears about experiments in the US and India which seem to show that as our mental “band-width” diminishes and we become overloaded by problems, our chances of thinking our way out of our situation reduces as well.

(Photo: An Asylum Seeker. Credit: Getty Images)

Plane, Train and Bird Spotting Oct 29, 2018

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Why do people love plane, train and bird spotting?

Novice aviation geek Alys Harte enters the worlds of twitchers, birders, watchers and spotters. She meets Noel Marsh-Giddings, who has flown on the shortest and longest flights on the planet - just for the sake of flying; she goes ‘birding’ on the east coast of England with Ashley Saunders where they have a close encounter with a sparrow hawk (and a photobombing mallard!) and speaks to Prof. Kiyohito Utsunomiya, transport economist and railway fan about the subcultures within subcultures that make up Japanese ‘tetsu’ train spotters.

Photo: Man in a field with binoculars. Credit: Getty Creative Images. ISO3000

Why Have Women Taken To Wellness? Oct 22, 2018

Show notes

Women are increasingly seeking out ways to look after their minds, bodies and emotions. Nutrition and lifestyle changes - from meditating to drinking green smoothies full of so-called super foods - all come under the term wellness.

There are wellness celebrities and online communities, observers even refer to a wellness industry.

Nastaran Tavakoli-Far asks what is driving women away from the medical establishment in an effort to improve their health.

Photo: Yoga Exercise At Wetland In Huangshan Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Why do we keep open secrets? Oct 15, 2018

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Open Secrets - when everybody knows something is going on but it is never officially acknowledged. Things are left unsaid, remaining in this strange unacknowledged state for decades.

So why do some open secrets not come out sooner?

Nastaran Tavakoli-Far looks at the Catholic church, the trading floor and to the wrestling ring to find out why very different open secrets have continued for so long and why they eventually came out.

Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Clare Spencer

Photo: Cassius, wrestler in ring Credit: Alistair Veryard Photogaphy

Rhetoric Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

Rhetoric has been described as the art of persuasion. Used to its best effect, it can make what you say very convincing. In the age of non-stop tweets, news updates and digital distractions, discourse feels like it’s become more immediate, less considered and, often, more aggressive. What should be reasoned rhetoric now often deteriorates into the quest for the perfect putdown. In this week's Why Factor, Sandra Kanthal finds out why, in the age of the 280 character polemic, it could be useful to learn more about the ancient art of rhetoric, and how this is yet another arena where machines may have an advantage over humans.

Image: A statue of Aristotle (Credit: Getty Images)

Compassion Fatigue Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

We hear about disasters and bad things happening in the world around the clock. Thanks to our TVs and smartphones we are bombarded 24/7. And charities use those same platforms to appeal to us for donations almost as frequently.

Those whose job it is to care – doctors, nurses, mothers even – face even more relentless demands on their compassion. Until one day some feel they cannot go on anymore.

We are all vulnerable to compassion fatigue – whether we are unable to deal with more bad news, or to care for our patients and children. But why do we get it? Why do we stop caring? And what is the impact on society when people just switch off and tune out?

Photo: Overwhelmed by the demands made on us. Credit: Getty Creative Images

Why has feminism affected the mother-son bond? Sep 24, 2018

Show notes

You’re a feminist. You’re pregnant. It’s a boy. What next?

Feminist mothers share with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far the complexities of bringing up a son.

One mother feels she has failed to impart her feminist values to her 17-year-old son who insists on listening to songs with misogynistic lyrics.

Another mother confesses that she is conflicted - on the one hand she thinks men have had their turn at the top of society and now they should keep quiet. On the other hand, she wants her 15-year-old son to be heard.

On the son’s side, Nastaran talks to a man who says he couldn’t trust his mother has his best interests at heart because she was a feminist. He felt so strongly about this that he set up a political party to assert men’s rights.

And then there are the men who have benefited.

Research shared with Nastaran puts forward a surprising finding – that men now feel more loved by their mothers.

Nastaran hears from a 25-year-old who says he can share everything with his mother.

In contrast, research shows that men brought up in the 1950s said they couldn’t open up and be affectionate with their mothers because of the masculine culture that dominated before feminism.

Image: Young son hugging his pregnant mother. Credit: Science Photo Library

Why the father-son relationship is important Sep 17, 2018

Show notes

Fathers can influence their sons long after the two have stopped living together. The father can act as the role model or, conversely, a cautionary tale.

In this edition of the Why Factor, Nastaran Tavakoli-Far talks with fathers and sons about how the relationship has affected them profoundly.

Image: Honduran Father and Son. Credit: Getty Images

Why do we forget the things we’ve learned? Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever been captivated by a book, full of stories you never knew, revelled in that new knowledge …and then forgotten it all? If the answer is yes, take heart; you are not alone. Why is it we remember some facts easily, and others slip away? In this week’s Why Factor Sandra Kanthal asks why do we forget the things we’ve learned.

Image: Brain Concept. Credit: BSIP / UIG via Getty Images

Why do we feel heartbreak? Sep 03, 2018

Show notes

Heartbreak after love lost has been written about for generations. Who can forget the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet? Or how Rose lost Jack in Titanic? Some of our favourite songs were inspired by heartbreak and as most of us have felt heartbreak in one form or another, relating to their words comes easy. But what causes these feelings? Is it all a figment of our imagination prompted by our society and culture or is there more to it than that? Can we fall sick or even die from a broken heart? And what does science have to say about it?

(Photo: Broken Heart. Credit: Getty Images)