Do you really know?

According to Retaildata.co.uk, us Brits are the second biggest consumers of gum in the world. On average, Brits use between 120 and 130 sticks each every year! Now despite that, many people don’t really know what chewing gum is actually made up of. We know that the minty freshness helps with bad breath and that maybe there’s some connection to oral hygiene, but that’s about it. Oh and of course we’ve heard that terrible things can happen if you swallow chewing gum. You could get appendicitis, the gum could stay stuck in your stomach for years, blocking your intestines. So, are they old wives’ tales or should you really be afraid? What’s actually in chewing gum then? Are there any health risks associated with chewing gum? What about if you accidentally swallow a piece of gum then?  To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : Why do doctors advise against chewing gum? Is holding back a sneeze dangerous? Is it dangerous to drink too much water? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 23/04/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of births in the UK continues to fall. Experts are even talking about a “baby bust”, the opposite of the “baby boom”, to describe these statistics, which have reached the lowest level since records began in 1938. One explanation for this could be that people are having children later than previous generations, leaving them with a reduced fertility window. In 2020, the Office for National Statistics notes that the average age at which women become mothers is 30, compared with 26 in 1975. In addition to this, the latest ONS birth data, released in 2020, reveals that 28% of women have their first child after the age of 30 and 5% after the age of 40. Can you run into problems if you want to get pregnant after the age of 30? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Could intentional lazy parenting foster your child's independence? What causes tocophobia, the fear of pregnancy and childbirth? ⁠Why do children have imaginary friends? A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. First Broadcast: 27/2/2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's pretty common these days to have to tackle several things at once, like responding to an email while on a work call. Our constant pursuit of productivity leads us to mix various activities simultaneously, whether it's at work, home, or even at school for kids. This blending of at least two tasks at the same time is commonly known as multitasking. When you focus on something that you’re doing or creating, the frontal lobes of both halves of your brain communicate. But trying to pull off two things at once shows that things operate differently. How so? Does it also depend on the nature of the tasks? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Could Britain ever rejoin the EU?⁠ ⁠Could the deep work technique help me concentrate better at work? What is microwork? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 17/01/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clowns are supposed to make you laugh, but often can make you shudder. What is supposed to be a figure of fun is for many the stuff of nightmares. Coulrophobia —the irrational fear of clowns that’s surprisingly common. This has been reinforced by popular culture, and many horror film-makers know that a scary clown is the perfect recipe for thrills, resulting in them becoming an icon of terror. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in February 2023 surveyed 900 individuals, revealing that 53% experienced clown-related fear. Participants pinpointed clown makeup as the primary source of discomfort, with its distortion of human features creating an air of menace. Unable to discern true emotions behind the painted facade, people feel unsettled by the clown’s unpredictable antics. The Science Behind the Fear What exactly is so unnerving about clowns? Are murderous clowns a reality or mere fiction? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠How do I know if I'm addicted to sex?⁠ ⁠Why does time go by faster with age?⁠ ⁠Why should I eat more fermented foods?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. First Broadcast: 7/5/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re no doubt familiar with what it feels like to be extremely tired after a long sleep. It’s a little like a hangover really: sluggishness, irritability, perhaps a slight headache too. And there’s actually a term for these sensations: sleep drunkenness.  According to the Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. But optimal sleep duration is unique for each of us. It can vary due to factors like genetics, age and lifestyle habits. Does oversleeping have any health consequences? What can we do to get back into a healthy sleep routine? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! Date of first release : April 23th, 2023 To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠How much do surrogate mothers get paid?⁠ ⁠What is the Barnum effect?⁠ ⁠How to spot, prevent and treat heatstroke ?⁠ A Bababam Originals podcast.A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Diocese of Orlando, the capital city of the state of Florida, covers a large part of the state. It represents more than 400,000 Catholic residents, and believe it or not, the Moon too! According to the Code of Canon Law drafted in 1917, any newly discovered territory falls under the jurisdiction of the bishop from where the discovery expedition originated. What is the Code of Canon Law ? Who was the first Bishop of the Moon then? Is there currently an active Bishop of the Moon? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠Can I get health benefits from masturbation?⁠ ⁠How have dating apps broken into the friendship market?⁠ ⁠Does voluntourism do more harm than good?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 29/7/2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture the scene: a woman is sitting in a bar, when a man comes up to try to talk to her. She finds him attractive, but acts disinterested and more or less ignores him, in order to not seem desperate. The man gives up and leaves the woman alone, but she then feels dissatisfied that he hasn’t persisted. It might seem like a counterintuitive approach, but according to American psychotherapist Ellnor Greenberg, it’s all too common. Writing for Psychology Today in February 2023, she explained that her female clients often tell her the same kind of story in therapy sessions. I don’t get it - what are the similarities between a sofa and a romantic partner? Does the sofa theory really work? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Do tongue scrapers actually help with bad breath?⁠ ⁠Do our brains really tell the whole story about us?⁠ ⁠How can heatwaves impact our mental health?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 15/6/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is mirror work ? It’s not easy to learn to love yourself and have good self-esteem. But here’s the good news: it is possible to work at it. That’s the main premise behind positive psychology and personal development at least. One particular new thought method from the United States has gained a significant following; it’s known as mirror work. Who invented mirror work then ? And what does the method consist of? But how can saying things to a mirror improve my self-confidence ? ⁠ In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !⁠ To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠What is Dugnad?⁠ ⁠What is de-extinction?⁠ ⁠What are happy hormones?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 12/5/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever found yourself in a debate with someone and realised as it goes on, that the person you’re talking to simply isn’t going to change their mind. That might be the case even if they’re expressing a controversial point of view, or saying something that goes against scientific evidence. It’s often because they’re so convinced their perspective is right that they can’t see any nuances in the discussion. Even when you present a solid argument that challenges their views, they only focus on what supports their position and twist it into their defense. The chances are they’re experiencing something known as confirmation bias. What’s that? How can you avoid falling into that trap? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠What is the optimism bias?⁠ ⁠What is shy bladder syndrome?⁠ ⁠What is Lima Syndrome?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 6/2/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starchy foods should actually be part of every meal. They come in three groups: cereal-based foods like bread, rice and pasta; pulses and legumes like lentils, beans, and chickpeas; and of course, potatoes. However, some members of this food group have a notoriously high glycemic index.  What is a glycemic index? So does this mean we should avoid starchy foods? Is cooling the only way to lower the GI of starchy foods?In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Which foods should I avoid after their expiry date? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Which foods mustn't you put in the microwave? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠What are the most hydrating foods? A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slipping into sleepwear is an essential part of most people’s nighttime routine. We often do it when we’re winding down from a busy day, and it means it’s time to relax and get ready for sleep.  Whether you sleep in pyjamas, a nightgown, a t-shirt, or nothing at all, the goal is to avoid being too hot or too cold. You need to feel comfortable in loose-fitting clothes that don't constrict your body. That’s because sleepwear that is too tight can restrict blood circulation and cause numbness or tingling. Synthetic materials, wool, and lace can also cause itching and skin irritation. So are you saying there’s no one best option when it comes to bedwear then? What about sleeping naked? What about socks? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Why do we startle when we fall asleep?⁠ ⁠How long do people have sex for?⁠ ⁠What are the secrets of a successful LAT couple?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 5/5/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've long known that masturbation can help relieve stress and even alleviate menstrual pain in women, thanks to the release of hormones like endorphins acting as a natural painkiller. It’s also well established that sexual activity is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, as it increases our heart rate and may even contribute to lower blood pressure. But as it turns out, using sex toys can also have some surprisingly positive effects on our health. And of course toys like butt plugs, dildos and vibrators, sex toys can be used with a partner too.Their popularity has been steadily growing year after year, and sex toys are no longer as taboo as they once were. Of course, the extended periods of isolation brought on by Covid-19 lockdowns only sped up the normalisation of sex toy use. Are those health benefits physical or psychological? There are so many types of sex toys out there - how am I supposed to choose among them all? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠How long do I have to wait to swim after eating?⁠ ⁠What are the world's least safe travel destinations?⁠ ⁠Why do we get travel sick?⁠ A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 13/4/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This kind of one-way relationship is generally between a fan and a public figure or fictional character. It’s about the feeling of familiarity or even friendship we feel for a celeb without ever actually having had any direct interaction with them. Most of the time of course, said celeb doesn’t even know we exist. After all, depending on their stature, they may have millions of fans, but there’s only one of them!  It’s a very modern-day phenomenon, isn’t it? Are parasocial relationships problematic? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Why do women live longer than men?⁠ ⁠Does money really make us happy?⁠ ⁠Do I need to take vitamin D supplements?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 01/08/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All personal development coaches emphasise the importance of setting goals, even ones that may seem out of reach at first. Doing so not only boosts motivation but also enables gradual achievement.  Nowadays a lot of people find this kind of approach almost second nature, but others struggle with it. A fear of failure, workplace anxiety, and a lack of self-confidence can make ambition seem unattainable.  What does the S.M.A.R.T. acronym stand for then? But is goal-setting actually an effective approach? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Is the gut really our "second brain"?⁠ ⁠What's the best way to cut your toenails?⁠ ⁠Who is US presidential candidate "Literally Anybody Else"?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have to navigate an almost endless list of uncertainties when raising a child, and it’s hard to figure out the best approach to parenting. At one end of the spectrum, you’ve got so-called helicopter parents, who micromanage every aspect of their children’s lives, and at the other end parents who are so hands-off that some label them as lazy. Maybe sometimes they are lazy. But in other cases, letting kids learn from their mistakes is an intentional choice rather than pure laziness. You might think that stepping back means kisd are more likely to get into trouble. But that’s not necessarily the case. The idea is to scale back constant parental involvement to help kids develop their own skills, problem-solving abilities, and independence. After all, if parents swoop in to solve every issue, how can children ever figure out how to manage on their own? Couldn’t such an approach be seen as negligent? How does one become a “lazy” parent? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠Why are we having children later and later?⁠ ⁠Why do children have imaginary friends?⁠ ⁠What causes tocophobia, the fear of pregnancy and childbirth?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 29/1/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speculative science fiction really is a genre of its own. Some people love it, others find it pointless, but you can’t deny the mental gymnastics involved in imagining the future of our societies, especially when some of those predictions turn out to be right.  In that field, there are a few writers who stand out above the rest: George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and, perhaps most famously, Isaac Asimov. Who exactly was Isaac Asimov? Did he predict a future full of robots then? What about space?To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What is future faking? ⁠⁠Will the meat of the future be printed in 3D? Why do we see faces in inanimate objects? A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you someone who thrives on making decisions at work, or do you prefer to take a back seat and let others have the final say? Decisions can be a source of anxiety, even for those who generally like making them. That's especially true when the sheer quantity of decisions to be made adds up, and you've got a limited amount of time in which to make them. That happens frequently to people working in a high-pressure role or environment. This is down to a phenomenon known as decision fatigue, which we've talked about in the past on Do You Really Know. It's easy to get weighed down in such scenarios, but thankfully there are ways of beating decision fatigue and making effective decisions without getting burned out. One such example is the PAUSE method. Who came up with that? What do the other steps consist of in concrete terms? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Why do some men get ill after they orgasm?⁠ ⁠Is nostalgia good or bad for us?⁠ ⁠How can the unisex condom improve my sex life?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 19/11/2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you can imagine a few scenarios in which you might have resisted the need to pee in the past. It may have been due to the toilets being unclean or closed. Sometimes, a little more privacy would be appreciated, especially at work, for example. There are a number of factors which influence the number of times we pee over the course of a day. These include age, bladder size, the weather, any medication we’re taking, what we drink and the amount we drink for example. Pregnant women also tend to pee more often. On average though, we go to the toilet between four and seven times a day. What explains urinating very frequently or infrequently? Can holding in pee lead to a urinary tract infection? What should you do when you have difficulty holding in urine? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: ⁠What is limb lengthening, the cosmetic procedure going viral on social media?⁠ ⁠Where does Mother’s day come from?⁠ ⁠What is ergophobia, the fear which can throw our careers off track?⁠ A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 5/6/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UN’s COP26 summit is due to start this Sunday, and it’s pretty clear to most of us that climate change is the most serious threat to our health. Of course it’s a physical threat, especially to the vulnerable, due to extreme weather events like heatwaves, storms and fires, which are increasingly frequent and intense.  But we mustn’t neglect the mental impact, as fear of the future is eating away at the minds of many. Indeed, climate-related disasters and environmental catastrophes are causing a lot of confusion and worry about the future of the planet. Is it really that widespread? What’s the best way to manage feelings of eco-anxiety? ⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Could brain dumping help you manage your anxiety? Why are so many people suffering from AI anxiety? Do anti-anxiety patches really work? First Broadcast: november 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's back to school! DYRK is dedicating a special week to sport. Because moving and doing regular physical activity is important for our physical and mental health! Listen again to our episodes about sport! Muscle dysmorphia, also known as bigorexia or reverse anorexia, is an obsession with bulking up by working out. It’s caused by a person’s belief that their body is too skinny or lacking in muscle. The term “exercise addiction” was coined by psychiatrist William Glasser in the 1970s. More recently, it has been recognized as a potentially harmful condition. This addiction usually affects those who exercise excessively, mainly endurance sports participants and bodybuilders.  How does it affect their mental health? What cause muscle dysmorphia?  ⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !⁠ To listen to the latest episodes, click here: ⁠What is tagskryt, the Scandinavian sustainable travel trend?⁠ ⁠Is it time the UK acknowledged its role in the slave trade?⁠ ⁠Why do we sneeze?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance First Broadcast: 28/9/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices