The Why Factor Podcast
The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions
Episodes to download
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Why Are We Getting Smarter
Fri 15 Jul 2016
Mike Williams examines the Flynn Effect and finds out why we are all getting smarter.
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Newspapers
Fri 8 Jul 2016
Digital news is threatening newspapers, so why do they survive and what is their future?
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Thin
Fri 27 May 2016
Mike Williams asks why so many people want to be thin in a world grappling with obesity.
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Why Are We Afraid of Robots?
Fri 20 May 2016
They help us in homes, hospitals and factories, so do we have reason to fear robots?
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Time Perception
Fri 13 May 2016
Mike Williams asks why some weeks just fly by but sometimes minutes can seem like hours?
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Statues: Why we put people on pedestals
Fri 6 May 2016
To some statues pay homage to gods, to others they are attempts at immortalising man
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Life, Liberty and the American Identity
Sat 30 Apr 2016
What is the American Identity and why is it a portrait recognized around the world?
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How the Rest of the World Sees America
Fri 29 Apr 2016
What does the world see when it looks towards America?
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Dolly, Dylan or Daft Punk
Sat 23 Apr 2016
Gemma Cairney explores our eclectic tastes in music and where those tastes come from
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How America Sees Itself
Fri 22 Apr 2016
How America's sense of national identity is perceived by the American people
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Radio Requests
Fri 15 Apr 2016
Music fans and radio stations from Mexico to Myanmar explain the appeal of radio requests
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Why I’m Not Just Blind
Fri 8 Apr 2016
Lee Kumutat asks why blind people must either be inspirational or deserving pity
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Supernatural Powers
Fri 18 Mar 2016
Mike Williams asks why supernatural beliefs have such a hold over different societies
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Magicians: Inside their Minds
Fri 11 Mar 2016
Who are the magicians and why do they enjoy performing for us?
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Conspiracy Theory
Fri 4 Mar 2016
The Why Factor asks why some people believe in conspiracy theories and whether it matters.
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Why We Search for the Origins of Life
Fri 26 Feb 2016
Why do humans need to understand the infinite and the infinitesimal?
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Addiction: Why Do Some People Succumb to it?
Fri 19 Feb 2016
Why does pleasure and desire lead to addiction in some people but not others?
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Pleasure: Why We Like the Things We Like
Fri 12 Feb 2016
The science of pleasure and why we like the things that we like
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Impersonators: Why do People Pretend to be Someone Else?
Fri 29 Jan 2016
Examining the world of the Impersonators, con-artists and entertainers
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Hypocrisy: Why do People Often say One Thing and do Another?
Fri 8 Jan 2016
Is hypocrisy part of the human condition?
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Hunting
New Year's Day 2016
Why do we hunt? Why kill animals when we no longer need to do so to eat?
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Why do we look the way we do?
Tattoos, trainers, jeans, hair, ties ... why?
