The Why Factor

For many decades now we’ve been getting smarter. All across the planet average IQ results have been

Free, digital news is threatening traditional newspapers around the world, so why do they survive an

Why are we attracted to some people and to not others? Mike Williams explores the factors that lie b

What is loneliness and why do we feel it? Why do some people feel lonely when surrounded by people a

The ideal university experience is expected to train the minds of students by exposing them to new i

Why do people try to create old masters and modern art, brush stroke by brush stroke? And, why do pe

For thousands of years, a thin body was a sign of poverty or disease. But there is now a growing, gl

Robots are in our homes, our factories, on battlefields and in hospitals. Some are smarter than us,

Mike Williams asks why some weeks just fly by but sometimes minutes can seem like hours? Why do we p

For thousands of years mankind has erected pillars of public art. Statues exist across almost every

As part of the BBC World Service “Identity” season The Why Factor explores how the one of the fundam

Mike Williams asks what the rest of the world thinks of the United States, one of the most recognisa

Pop, Blues, RnB, Hip Hop, Folk, Reggae, Metal - why do we like the music that we like? As part of th

What are notions of national identity and how does it arise? We look at probably the most powerful c

When there are so many ways in the world we can listen to music, why does getting your request playe

Lee Kumutat examines why blindness comes to define the identity of people who have little or no sigh

As part of the BBC World Service Season on Identity, The Why Factor examines one simple question: W

A pregnant Captain Kirk gives birth on the Enterprise, Harry Potter and his rival Draco Malfoy fall

Juju, Evu, Witchcraft, the evil eye, Voodoo, black magic. There are many names for beliefs that sup

Tricksters, conjurers, the world of magicians. Who are they and why do they do what they do? We bega