The Why Factor

About half the population consider themselves to have a shy personality, but most of us feel shyness in certain situatio... Read more

The desire to live is strong in us humans. But it’s not always enough. Sometimes people fall so low that they can see ... Read more

Why do people go to their school reunion? Caz Graham goes to a 50th anniversary school reunion in the North of England ... Read more

Why do we feel so many different and intense emotions when someone close to us dies? Whether it is yearning, sadness, an... Read more

Yoga is an ancient practice that includes meditation, exercise and spirituality. It’s said to date back thousands of yea... Read more

Have you ever felt like a fraud? You think that one day your mask will be uncovered and everyone will know your secret. ... Read more

Jo Fidgen asks why we read, or write poetry, as opposed to prose? What can poetry do that prose can’t? And why do we res... Read more

Why has the game endured over more than 1500 years and how has it mirrored politics and changes in society? We speak to ... Read more

Job interviews are stressful experiences and have mostly been proved by scientists to be ineffective at selecting the ri... Read more

What is loneliness and why do we feel it? Why do some people feel lonely when surrounded by people and others never feel... Read more

We all experience negative emotions and find different ways to cope – maybe by exercising or by listening to music. But... Read more

Why are we attracted to some people and to not others? Mike Williams explores the factors that lie behind our feelings o... Read more

When many people struggle to maintain one relationship, why do some people enter into multiple simultaneous marriages? L... Read more

Why do we have such a close and complex relationship with dogs? No matter whether you love or hate them, it’s undeniable... Read more

Red roses, romantic dinners and Valentine’s Day might have become the modern expression of Romance – but where do its an... Read more

Catherine Carr asks why excessive drinking can sometimes seem to be socially acceptable. And why countries like America ... Read more

Wine has been referred to as the nectar of the gods, and has been tempting connoisseurs for centuries. But contained in... Read more

For centuries perfume has been used to show status and wealth, for medicinal and for religious reasons and the global bu... Read more

On this week’s Why Factor Jo Fidgen meets an Englishwoman who suffers from a rare condition known as Foreign Accent Synd... Read more

How do you start your day? It’s a more complicated question than you think – and that’s because you don’t think about i... Read more