The Why Factor Podcast
The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions
Episodes to download
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Restaurants
Mon 9 Apr 2018
Why do people dream of opening a restaurant? Is the reality anything like the fantasy?
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Sibling Birth Order
Mon 2 Apr 2018
Why is the order in which we are born seen as a key to our character?
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Why are some places still men only?
Mon 12 Mar 2018
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors of a men only club?
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Interviews
Mon 19 Feb 2018
Why do we rely on the interview process when it's proven to be ineffective?
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Noise
Mon 15 Jan 2018
Why high levels of noise affects all of us and how to make our lives more tranquil
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Why do People Hear Voices in Their Heads?
Mon 8 Jan 2018
Around 2% of people claim they regularly hear voices in their heads. Are they all sick?
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Sleepwalking
New Year's Day 2018
Bizarre bedtime behaviours that include a woman who went motorbiking while asleep
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Alcohol Addiction
Christmas Day 2017
Catherine Carr asks why excessive drinking can sometimes seem to be socially acceptable
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Initiations
Mon 4 Dec 2017
Initiations can involve ordeals yet people put up with the pain. So why do we need them?
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What Can Chimps Teach us About Politics?
Mon 27 Nov 2017
What politicians might learn from chimps and other primates about politics
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Men, Women and Language
Mon 20 Nov 2017
Women apologise too much, men interrupt more. Are these stereotypes true?
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Dubbing Movies
Mon 13 Nov 2017
Rhianna Dhillon finds out why so many films are dubbed into another language
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Serial Killers
Mon 23 Oct 2017
Why do many of us find serial killers and their crimes so intriguing?
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Breath-holding
Mon 16 Oct 2017
Lucy Ash goes in search of her inner dolphin, as she asks why people hold their breath
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Romance
Mon 18 Sep 2017
Why is it such an enduring concept and what does it mean in the modern world?
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Why do we look the way we do?
Tattoos, trainers, jeans, hair, ties ... why?
