Tattoos

What motivates people to decorate their bodies with ink?

• 17 mins

Ageing

Why are attitudes towards older people often so negative?

• 17 mins

Violent Entertainment

What explains our enduring attraction to violent entertainment?

• 17 mins

Mountains

What draws people to mountains and take risks scaling dangerous peaks?

• 17 mins

Celebrity

Why has the modern world become so obsessed with celebrity culture?

• 17 mins

Monogamy

Does true love have to be monogamous? We hear three very modern love stories.

• 17 mins

Female Body Hair

The history of hair removal and what it tells us about notions of female beauty

• 17 mins

Memory

How human memory works and why some memories are remembered more easily than others

• 17 mins

Fasting

Why people choose to abstain from food for religious - and non-religious - reasons

• 17 mins

Sad Music

Sad music has become more popular according to a recent study. Why do people listen to it?

• 17 mins

Nostalgia

Why do we look back and yearn for the past, or recall sweet memories of our youth?

• 17 mins

Burial

Burial is a practice that’s been carried out for centuries – but why do we do it?

• 17 mins

Swearing

Why some words have such power to shock and offend

• 17 mins

Bullying

Why do we bully, why do some do it and others allow it?

• 17 mins

Speed

Why are we obsessed with speed? Mike Williams investigates.

• 17 mins

Walk on the Wild Side

Walk on the Wild Side

Why has Lou Reed's music changed everything? Mike Williams explains

• 49 mins

The Lie

How different cultures define telling the truth

• 17 mins

Optimism and Pessimism

Why do some people have a darker outlook on life while others have a brighter one?

• 17 mins

Secrets

They represent power, they can generate fear, but why do we have secrets?

• 17 mins

Solitude

How far can or should we pursue solitude?

• 17 mins

The Heel

Where did the fascination with elevated footwear come from? Why wear high heels?

• 17 mins

Crying

Crying emotional tears is uniquely human but why do we do it?

• 17 mins

Cross Dressing

Artist Grayson Perry, a train driver and a detective novelist on why they cross dress

• 17 mins

Debt

How the way we borrow and lend money is changing

• 17 mins

Nitrogen: Forgetting Fritz

Fritz Haber harnessed nitrogen to feed billions, but was also the pioneer of gas warfare

• 17 mins

Running

In the UK, running is increasing in popularity. So why are we running now more than ever?

• 17 mins

Alcohol

Why do so many people drink alcohol? And why do some struggle to control it?

• 17 mins

Masks

Tracing the power and use of masks and what they mean for us culturally

• 17 mins

Homosexuality

Why does homosexuality exist? Is it nature or nurture? Mike Williams and guests discuss

• 17 mins

Touch

How do different cultures view physical contact in everyday life?

• 17 mins