Do you really know?

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

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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

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What are Fan Tokens? Thanks for asking!

Even if you’re not a football fan, you can’t have missed the news of Lionel Messi’s recent transfer to Paris Saint Germain in mid-August. But you may not have heard details of the star’s €30M sign-on package at PSG, a significant proportion of which was paid in the club’s Fan Token cryptocurrency.

The move led to a spike in PSG trading, with the token value more than doubling from one week to the next.

Where can you buy fan tokens? And what’s the point? Why do football clubs need more money anyway? ⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!⁠

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

⁠What is terraforming?⁠

⁠What is a deepfake?⁠

⁠What is empty nest syndrome?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 8/9/2021

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What is mucosal immunity? Thanks for asking! 

It was announced last week that Covid booster vaccines would soon be available to millions of people across the UK, including all over 50s and other people with underlying health conditions.  

In the meantime, new ways to combat the virus are emerging, specifically that of an nasal spray vaccine designed to boost mucosal immunity. Regular listeners may recall our recent episode on this kind of vaccine. The latest developments this month saw a team of French researchers present promising results from preliminary clinical trials on mice and hamsters.

How is mucosal immunity different to what’s generated by traditional vaccines then? Are you saying we won’t ever reach herd immunity with the existing vaccines? ⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!⁠

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

⁠What are Butler Cafés?⁠

⁠What is last chance tourism?⁠

⁠What is toxic positivity?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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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.

First Broadcast: 15/10/2025

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In June it emerged that Greek police had acquired two long range acoustic devices, designed to discourage migrants from approaching the country's border with Turkey. At the size of a small TV, the cannons don’t look particularly threatening, but are capable of emitting powerful sound waves as loud as a jet plane.

An LRAD is an example of a sonic weapon, which is an umbrella term used to cover the many different types of acoustic harassment devices. They emit a particularly audible sound in a precise direction, making it very unpleasant for those who get close. The use of LRADs has been a source of controversy in a number of scenarios. In addition to the pain and disorientation caused, their alert feature has been reported to cause lasting hearing damage.

In what other scenarios are sonic weapons used? Is there anything peaceful protesters can do to protect themselves? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

⁠Is binge drinking over in the UK?⁠

⁠How can I improve my posture in the office?⁠

⁠Do I need to take vitamin D supplements?⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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For a number of years now, our smartphones have played a central role in many aspects of our lives, from work to personal relationships to entertainment. There’s a close and sometimes addictive connection. 

Just think of doomscrolling for example, which is a phenomenon we’ve discussed in the past on Do You Really Know. It’s a form of behaviour which sees us compulsively scrolling through depressing content on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. It can easily end up draining us, leaving us feeling unfulfilled and possibly leading to anxiety or exhaustion. 

How can I recognise if I’m addicted to my smartphone? What about at other times of the day? What’s the best way to get started? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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 podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 12/1/2024

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Over on TikTok, the #idontchaseiattract hashtag is nearing in on 20,000 publications at the time of recording. It really took off in late 2023, especially after Kendall Jenner said the following in an interview with Enews. 

Behind the simple statement are young women advocating that with enough belief, you can manifest whatever you want in life. You might have also heard of "Lucky girl syndrome" and "manifesting," which have also gone viral on Tiktok in the past, and are based on similar principles.  And these trendy ideas are essentially a modern spin on an age-old principle: the law of attraction, which gained popularity in the early 2000s within the realm of personal development.

How exactly did the "law of attraction" come about then? Is there any scientific basis to these ideas? 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: 25/2/2024

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

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption.

All week long we’ll be discussing anticonsumerist trends as an alternative to Black Friday. Zero waste is a good example of one that has become very popular in recent years. The practice helps reduce consumption of non-recyclables but it’s also plain common sense. Let’s look at some simple ways to recycle waste at home and also save some cash while you’re at it.

What about composting fruits and vegetables? What about food that has already gone bad? What about waste that isn't organic? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

⁠⁠What is premium mediocre - the illusion of luxury?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What is Gross National Happiness, a potential alternative to GDP?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Why are my ears ringing?⁠⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 23/11/2022

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There’s a lot of popular ideas out there about body hair removal. Shave too much and the hair becomes thicker. Wax, and it will gradually start thinning out. It can be hard to know who or what to believe. Both women and men increasingly spend a lot of their time and money removing body hair, even though it acts as a barrier to bacteria, and sexually transmitted diseases in the case of pubic hair.

Shaving with a razor, using an electric epilator and waxing all have their own pros and cons. But let’s take a moment to consider the rarely discussed topic of whether any of them pose health risks. Shaving for example is perhaps the most popular hair removal method due to how quick, easy and cheap it is. Using a razor is actually quite harsh on the skin though, and tends to dry it out in the long run. Depilatory creams are a gentler alternative, but they also contain certain hair-softening chemicals which can irritate the skin or worse, trigger an allergic reaction.

Are there any risks associated with waxing? It is said that bikini waxing can be particularly harmful. Is that true? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

⁠⁠Why is sugar bad for our memory?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Does the law of attraction really work?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How can I stay trendy buying only second hand clothes?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 28/2/2024

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