The Why Factor

Millions of us work in open plan offices, whether in modern, efficient buildings with the latest tec

From the mythology of night time and darkness, to being rebellious and cool, to a word which has c

Why do we behave differently in crowds? An “angry” mob and “herd mentality,” – are terms frequently

Each day billions of us look into a mirror without giving it a second thought but do we really under

Why has the tiny area of Bukom in Accra, produced five World Champion boxers, including Ghana’s grea

Why do tens of millions of women all over the world choose to walk around on stilt like objects call

Why has one of the world’s most important scientists been forgotten? He worked with something with

On the programme today, the strange customs and conduct that make up ‘good manners’. Where do they

Sinister tales of characters that terrorise adults and children at night pervade our cultures and ha

Why are human beings compelled to tap their feet or bob their heads to the beat of music? It seems l

This week the second of two programmes about fear, why do some of us like to be frightened? Why, in

In the first of two programmes on fear, we ask what actually fear is and discover it's a surprisingl

This is the story of what happens when running water comes to town. In a rural backwater in southern

In the physical, material sense, it's quite rare in nature... But, at the same time, it surrounds u

Why do different cultures have different coming of ages? For some the advent of adulthood is celebra

This week, Mike Williams asks why do we shake hands? All over the world millions of us use this gest

Why do we care so much about the hair on our heads? Each year we spend billions of dollars on cuttin

At first glance, it seems like a very obvious basic human response - we laugh because we find things

Mike Williams finds out why armies use one type of bullet, while gangsters use another and what the

In this week's programme Mike Williams looks at why people start smoking. Nearly 50 years after the