All Episodes
The Why Factor — 383 episodes
Millennials and business
Why do we text instead of talk?
Why do physical scars matter?
Dystopias
Victim blaming
Parties
Resilience
Why does music affect the way we feel?
Why do we need to talk about men?
Why grandparents are important
Why do we cheat on our partners?
Why are we conscious?
Why are we conscious of so little?
Why are we shy?
Intuition: Why should we be cautious of it?
Intuition: Why should we trust it?
Why do we love camping?
Why do some people reject society?
Why are we so gloomy about the world?
Why do we (still) wear make-up?
Why learn to be happy?
Why do funerals matter?
Why do we blend?
Why does nature calm anxiety?
Why do we care so much about games?
Why do some people become hermits?
Why should we work together?
Schadenfreude
Why aren’t more women in computer science?
Why do we care where we come from?
Why do people risk death in pursuit of adventure?
Why is it so hard to get people to pay tax?
Confidence: How it can help us
Confidence: Why it misleads us
Why do we find it hard to cut our losses?
Emotional labour
Why is climate change so politicised?
Separating the art from the artist
Cinderella
Why do stories matter?
Mothers and daughters
Fathers and daughters
Fattism
Beauty pageants
Why is architecture so big on Instagram?
Meritocracy
Speed
Blame
Smart Speakers
Giving Presents
Fitness Apps
Extreme Sports
Zombies
Musical Instruments
Wine
Why do we Collude with Corruption?
Why Do Men Love Sheds?
Horses
Truth
Fact Checkers
Why scarcity can damage decision making
Plane, Train and Bird Spotting
Why Have Women Taken To Wellness?
Why do we keep open secrets?
Rhetoric
Compassion Fatigue
Why has feminism affected the mother-son bond?
Why the father-son relationship is important
Why do we forget the things we’ve learned?
Why do we feel heartbreak?
Antarctica
Why boredom is interesting
Being at Sea
Why Do We Love Boats?
Female friendships
Male friendships
School Reunions
Us and Them
Status
Fishing
Why Football is the World’s Game
Why Do We Love Landscapes?
Self-Help
Dogs
Immortality
Self-Marriage
Romance Fraud
Giving Away Data
Carrying Guns
Fantasies
Restaurants
Sibling Birth Order
Machines and Morals
Laziness
Why are some places still men only?
Dinosaurs
Bullies
Interviews
Pain
Hypnotism
Vegans
Dreaming
Noise
Why do People Hear Voices in Their Heads?
Sleepwalking
Alcohol Addiction
Witches
The Crowd
Initiations
What Can Chimps Teach us About Politics?
Men, Women and Language
Dubbing Movies
Dark Tourism
Imposter Syndrome
Serial Killers
Breath-holding
Staying Put
How to Live Small
Surrogacy
Romance
What Do You Do?
Complexity
Human Remains in Museums
News
Eavesdropping
Why Raise Other People's Children?
Sign Language
Why Do Some People Crave the Limelight?
Male Violence
Childlessness
The Kiss
Polygamy
Returning Home
Exams
Self-Harm
Why Do We Talk To Ourselves?
Thankless Tasks
Are you a numbers person?
Goths
Habits
Short
Why Words Matter
Underground
Clapping
Why do Men Want Six Packs?
Yoga
Hands
Listening
Stammering
Smiling
Hypochondria
Torture
Cryonics
Regret
Carrying Guns
Vigilantes
Why Do We Make Lists?
Forgiveness
Why do we Get Road Rage?
Revenge
The Female Orgasm
Why Do Cities Make Us Rude?
The Family Tree
Hoarding
Unconscious Bias
Eye Witness Identification
Organ Donation
Farewell Letters
Grief
Assisted Death
Why do Crazes Take Off?
Comic Book Superheroes
Why do we find some voices irritating?
The Voice
Why not celebrate introvert personalities?
Why do pet videos go viral?
Fear of Animals
Fear vs Fact
Driving
Violence
Why Are We Getting Smarter
Newspapers
Attraction
Loneliness
Safe Space
Copying Art
Thin
Why Are We Afraid of Robots?
Time Perception
Statues: Why we put people on pedestals
Life, Liberty and the American Identity
How the Rest of the World Sees America
Dolly, Dylan or Daft Punk
How America Sees Itself
Radio Requests
Why I’m Not Just Blind
Identity
Fanfiction
Supernatural Powers
Magicians: Inside their Minds
Conspiracy Theory
Why We Search for the Origins of Life
Addiction: Why Do Some People Succumb to it?
Pleasure: Why We Like the Things We Like
Why is Water Exceptional?
Impersonators: Why do People Pretend to be Someone Else?
Age of Consent
Why Do we Want or Need Heroes?
Hypocrisy: Why do People Often say One Thing and do Another?
Hunting
Group Thinking
Why Do We Make Lists?
Why Do We Wear Skirts?
Why Do We Wear Ties?
Why do we wear Suits?
What Makes us Want to Wear T-Shirts?
Tutoring
Why Can’t Some People Eat Certain Foods?
Why Do We Love the Bicycle?
Why Does Everyone Wear Trainers?
Why Do we Support Sports Clubs?
Why Does Commuting Make us the Way we Are?
Graffiti: Why do we do it?
Why Do We Love Dolls?
Why Does the World Love Drinking Tea?
Why do Humans Need so Much Space?
Why do we have Human Rights?
World War One: Sacrifice
Why do people sacrifice their lives?
Talking about Death
Why Do We Need Diaries?
Why do we travel?
What is a Home?
Encryption
Why do Top Sportsmen and Women Choke?
Nationality
Why Do We Need Cash?
Why do People Take Risks?
How Chillies Became Hot
Why do we Draw?
The Evolution of Beards
Blue Jeans
The Y Chromosome
Television
Collecting
Jargon
Animals Are Us?
The Circus
Daydreaming
Suicide
The Refugee Journey
Death Penalty
Forgetting
Crime Fiction
Skyscrapers
Chasing Riches
Rejecting Riches
Why are watches enduring status symbols?
Sad Music
Why Do We Fly Flags?
Loyalty
Portrait Photography
The Moon
Honour
Perfume
Sharing
Nudity
Cookery
Letters
Poetry
Memorialisation
Memorialisation
Chess
Embarrassment
Karma
Brands
What is Charisma?
The Rivals
Risking Life For Strangers
Protest
The 100th Programme: The Life of Why
Gardens
Gossip
Ghosts
Chastity
The Pilgrimage
The Walk
The Moon
The Apology
Coincidence
World War One: Patriotism
Accents
Why Eye Contact is Important
The Fool
Diplomacy
Competition
Symmetry
Sticky Songs
The Kiss
Luck
Horoscopes
Racism
Boredom
Envy
Dance
Family Names
Given Names
Privacy
Coffee
Trees of Life
Adolescence
Touch
Homosexuality
Masks
Alcohol
Running
Nitrogen: Forgetting Fritz
Debt
Cross Dressing
Crying
The Heel
Solitude
Secrets
Optimism and Pessimism
The Lie
Speed
Bullying
Swearing
Burial
Nostalgia
Sad Music
Fasting
Memory
Female Body Hair
Monogamy
Celebrity
Mountains
Violent Entertainment
Ageing
Tattoos
Fire
The City
Bathing: Water, Health and Well-being
Bathing: Supernatural Waters
The Sea
Make-up
The Ball
The Lie
Disgust
Pets
Gold
Singing
The Kiss
Ageing
Retirement
Why do we get insomnia?
Sleep
Silence
PTSD
Cultural Memory
Why are Open Plan Offices the Norm?
Black
The Mob
Mirrors
The Boxers of Bukom
The Heel
Nitrogen: Forgetting Fritz
Manners
The Sackman (and other stories)
The Drum
Fear - Episode 2
Fear - Episode 1
The Tap
Blue
Coming of Age
The Handshake
The Shaved Head
Why do we laugh?
The Bullet
Why do we smoke?
Why do we Behave so Oddly Inside Elevators?
Why do we wear ties?
Why do we have tattoos?