Why do some people fill their homes and their lives with stuff? Read more
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Hoarding
Why do some people fill their homes and their lives with stuff?
The Family Tree
Why are so many people obsessed with discovering their family origins?
Why Do Cities Make Us Rude?
Why do cities make us rude? What makes us behave so badly in urban areas?
The Female Orgasm
Why do we understand so little about female sexual pleasure?
Revenge
Why did this type of aggressive behaviour evolve? And what purpose does it serve?
Why do we Get Road Rage?
Why does driving bring out the worst in some people?
Forgiveness
Could you forgive the person who killed your child or who raped or tortured you?
Why Do We Make Lists?
From shopping lists to to-do lists – why do we make lists and what do they say about us?
Vigilantes
Why do some people take the law into their own hands?
Carrying Guns
In the countries where it’s legal, why do people choose to bear arms?
Regret
Why do we feel regret – is it right to live with it, or should we get over our mistakes?
Conspiracy Theory
The Why Factor asks why some people believe in conspiracy theories and whether it matters
Cryonics
Why do some people choose to be frozen at death, hoping to be brought back to life?
Torture
Does torture actually work, and can its use ever be justified?
Hypochondria
What is hypochondria, and why don’t we take this misunderstood malaise more seriously?
Smiling
Whether a toothy grin, a megawatt beam or a faint curve of the lips, why do we smile?
Stammering
Why does this speech disorder cause so much shame amongst the millions affected by it?
Listening
Why is listening different from hearing? And how can we develop that skill?
Hands
Whether it is making or fixing something, why do we enjoy working with our hands?
Why I’m Not Just Blind
Lee Kumutat asks why blind people must either be inspirational or deserving pity
Yoga
Valley Fontaine asks why do we do yoga, and how has it become so popular?
Why do Men Want Six Packs?
Why do men all over the world crave these six bumps on their stomach?
Clapping
Becky Milligan uncovers the secrets of applause and how it can be used to infect us all.
Underground
What lures people to delve deep beneath the earth, into the dark recesses underground?
Why Words Matter
Lane Greene explains how the words we choose can tell us a great deal about ourselves.
Short
Why do some short people lie about their height?
Habits
Shiulie Ghosh explains why we are all creatures of habits.
Goths
Why would anyone be a goth? What is the appeal of this dark and spooky subculture?
Are you a numbers person?
Are you a numbers person? Timandra Harkness explains how we get intimidated by numbers.
Thankless Tasks
Dotun Adebayo discovers why anyone does a job where lots of people hate you
Why Do We Talk To Ourselves?
In this Why Factor, Matthew Sweet asks who are we talking to when we talk to ourselves