Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Rob.
You look tired, Rob.
Well, I didn’t sleep well last night. I was tossing and turning all night,
but I couldn’t get to sleep.
Well, that’s a coincidence, as our topic today is insomnia - the condition some people suffer
from when they find it difficult to get to sleep when they go to bed.
Thankfully I don’t really have insomnia,
but every now and again, I find it difficult to get to sleep.
Well, keep listening and we might have some advice to help with that,
but first, a question: What is the record for the longest a human has gone without sleep? Is it:
A) about seven days?
B) about nine days? Or
C) about 11 days?
What do you think, Rob?
All of those seem impossible! So I’ve got to go with the shortest - about seven days.
Well, if you can stay awake long enough, I’ll let you know at the end of the programme. Dr
Michael Grandner is an expert in all things to do with sleep. He was interviewed recently on
the BBC radio programme Business Daily. He was asked what his best tip was to
help you get to sleep if you are finding it difficult. What was his suggestion?
And it sounds counter-intuitive,
but trust me I’ve got decades of data behind this statement: If you cannot sleep, get out of bed.
So Rob, how does he suggest you help yourself to get to sleep?
Well actually, he says that the best thing to do is to get out of bed!
That sounds exactly the opposite of what you should do, doesn’t it?
Well, he does say that his advice is counter-intuitive,
which means exactly that. That it is the opposite of what you might expect.
And he says that this advice is backed up by decades of research.
A decade is a period of 10 years and when we say decades,
it’s a general term for many years, at least 20. Let’s hear that advice again from Dr Grandner.
And it sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me I’ve got decades of data behind this statement:
If you cannot sleep, get out of bed.
So why is getting out of bed good advice? Here’s the explanation from Dr Grandner.
When you’re in bed and you’re not asleep and you do that over, and over, and over again for
extended periods of time, the ability of the bed to put you to sleep starts getting diluted. Not
only that, it starts getting replaced by thinking, and tossing and turning, and worrying, and doing
all these things. When you’re not asleep, get out of bed. This is probably one of the most
effective ways to prevent chronic insomnia. It’s also one of the really effective ways to
treat it. It won’t work 100% of the time, but it will actually work more than most people think.
We normally sleep in beds. Beds are designed to make it easy to sleep,
but if we can’t sleep, that makes the bed’s impact
weaker. As Dr Grandner says, 'it dilutes the power of the bed to help us sleep'.
When you dilute something, you make it weaker. For example,
you can dilute the strength of a strong fruit juice by adding water to it.
So if we stay in bed, tossing and turning, which is the expression we use to describe
moving around in the bed trying to get to sleep, we begin to think of the bed as place where we
don’t sleep rather than as a place where we do sleep. So, get out of bed to break the connection.
This he says is a positive way to approach chronic insomnia. Chronic is an adjective
that is used to describe conditions that are long-lasting. So we’re not talking here about
occasionally not being able to get to sleep, but a condition where it happens every night.
Let’s hear Dr Grandner again.
When you’re in bed and you’re not asleep and you do that over, and over, and over again for
extended periods of time, the ability of the bed to put you to sleep starts getting diluted. Not
only that, it starts getting replaced by thinking, and tossing and turning, and worrying, and doing
all these things. When you’re not asleep, get out of bed. This is probably one of the most
effective ways to prevent chronic insomnia. It’s also one of the really effective ways to
treat it. It won’t work 100% of the time, but it will actually work more than most people think.
Time to review today’s vocabulary, but first, let’s have the answer to the quiz question.
What is the record for the longest a human has gone without sleep? Is it:
A) about seven days?
B) about nine days?
C) about 11 days?
What did you think, Rob?
I thought it must be about seven days.
Well, I’m afraid you’re not right. The answer, rather amazingly, is actually just over 11 days.
Extra bonus points for anyone who knew that that was done in 1964 by someone called Randy Gardner.
That’s extraordinary. It’s difficult to imagine even going a couple of days without sleep,
but 11! I wonder how long he slept for after that!
14 hours and 40 minutes.
You’ve got all the answers, haven’t you?
Well when I can’t sleep, I get up and read trivia!
And now it’s time for the vocabulary. Today our topic has been insomnia.
This is the word for the condition of not being able to sleep.
And something that people do when they are trying to sleep is toss and turn in bed.
The opposite of what seems logical or obvious is counter-intuitive.
It goes against what you might expect. So if you can’t sleep, get out of bed.
Our next word is diluted.
This is from the verb to dilute which means 'to make something less strong'.
And finally, there was the adjective chronic. This is an expression for a medical condition that is
long-lasting. So someone who has chronic insomnia regularly has difficulty getting enough sleep.
It’s not just something that happens now and again.
Well, we hope that 6 Minute English isn’t a cure for insomnia,
but I do find listening to podcasts and spoken radio helps me get to sleep.
Well, before we all drop off to sleep from the comforting tone of your voice, Rob,
it’s time for us to say goodbye. That's it for this programme. For more,
find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Youtube pages, and of course our website:
bbclearningenglish.com, where you can find all kinds of other programmes and videos
and activities to help you improve your English. Thank you for joining us, and goodbye.
Bye!
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil. This is the programme where in just
six minutes we discuss an interesting topic and teach some related English
vocabulary. And joining me to do this is Rob.
Hello… err sorry Neil, how long did you say this programme is?
Six minutes – it's 6 Minute English, Rob.
Right. OK. Sorry, what's your name again?
Neil! My name is Neil. Rob, what has happened to your memory?!
Sorry, Neil – too many things on my mind, it's affecting my short-term memory,
but what I can remember is that in this programme we're talking about improving our memory.
We are and I think you might find it quite useful! Storing information is
an important function of our brains and scientists are always looking
at ways to improve it but also to stop it deteriorating – or becoming worse.
Yes, and we all know that memories – that's the noun word for things we
remember from the past – are nice to have but also important for remembering who people are,
where things are kept and how things look.
Soon we'll be discussing a new idea for improving your memory but not before I've set today's quiz
question. There are many ways we can improve our memory but one way is through the type of
food we eat. According to the BBC Food website, which type of food supports good memory function?
Is it… a) eggs
b) spinach, or c) bananas?
Well, as a kid I was always told that spinach was
good for me – Popeye ate it to make him strong – so I'll say b) spinach.
Well, I'll have the answer later on. Now, let's talk more about improving our memory.
Memory is the ability to encode, store and recall information but a number of factors
can affect people’s memory processes including health, anxiety, mood, stress and tiredness.
That's why, for example, if you're taking an exam it's important to get a good night's sleep and to
keep healthy. But Neil, when you're revising for an exam, what helps you to remember facts?
I tend to write things down again and again and again and again.
Well, that's one way. But people have different styles to help them remember. According to the
BBC's iWonder guide, there are three different styles - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, that's
learning by ‘doing’ and practising something over and over again. That sounds like me.
But recently, a new study has come up with a method that
could possibly be the best way to improve your memory and that's by drawing.
Daryl O'Connor, who's Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds, has been speaking
about it on the BBC Radio 4 programme, All In The Mind. See if you can work out why…
The authors certainly argue that one of the things that happens by drawing
these particular objects, that it leads to this increased contextual representation
of the object in one's mind… It makes a lot of intuitive sense – the idea that if
you have encoded something in a greater level of detail, you're more likely to remember it…
It's much stronger than just remembering writing down the words.
OK, so let's try to explain that. Drawing something
leads to increased contextual representation of the object.
When something is contextual, it is in the situation where it usually exists.
So as you draw something you are creating a picture in your mind about what it is,
how you use it and where it is used. I wonder if this means artists have good memories…
Maybe. Daryl O'Connor says that when you draw you are encoding
something in a greater level of detail, more than you would by just writing things down.
Encoding is changing information into a form that can be stored and later recalled.
That's because as you draw, you're thinking about different aspects
of the object. He says it makes intuitive sense – intuitive means it is 'based on
feelings rather than facts or proof' - so, you just feel it is the best thing to do.
Of course, this is just one more way to improve your memory. I have also heard
that doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku can help, especially when you're older.
Yes, as we get older we can often have more difficulty retrieving information from our
memory - and people with Alzheimer’s find it very difficult to encode information – so any
way to keep our memory working is a good thing. Basically we need brain training!
Brain training and eating the right food Rob! You might remember that earlier I asked you,
according to the BBC Food website, which type of food supports good memory function? Is it…
a) eggs b) spinach, or
c) bananas? And Rob, you said…
I do remember and I said b) spinach.
And that is sort of the wrong answer. In fact they were all correct – they are all examples
of food that can help support good memory. Apparently, foods rich in B vitamins are important
as they provide protection for the brain as we age and support good memory function. I think
it's time to change my diet! Now on to the vocabulary we looked at in this programme.
So today we've been talking about our memory – we use our memory to remember things
and memories is the noun for things we remember from the past.
Then we discussed a learning style known as kinaesthetic,
that is learning by 'doing' and practising something over and over again.
We heard from Professor Daryl O'Connor, who talked about contextual representation - when
something is contextual, you see it in the situation where it usually exists.
Next, we talked about encoding. Thatis changing information into a form
that can be stored and later recalled.
And we mentioned intuitive sense – having an intuitive sense means doing something
'based on feelings rather than facts or proof' - so, you just feel it is the best thing to do.
And finally, we mentioned Alzheimer’s – a disease affecting the brain
that makes it difficult to remember things and it gets worse as you get older.
Well, there are lots of new words to remember there – but that's all for this programme.
Don't forget to visit us on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and YouTube and our website bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now.
Goodbye!
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.
And I'm Sam.
In this programme, we’re talking about biscuits.
Really? That’s not what I was told… oh hold on, you’re lying.
Yes, you’re right, Sam. I am lying simply to demonstrate
our topic – lying and how to detect it. You detected my lie very easily, Sam!
I could tell by the smirk on your face that
you were telling a fib – that’s the word for a small, inoffensive lie.
To be honest, talking about lie detecting will be much more interesting
than biscuits. But first, let’s start with a question for you to answer.
A competition is held in Cumbria in the UK every year to find and award the title of
"The Biggest Liar in the World". But which type of people are not allowed to take part?
a) Farmers
b) Lawyers
c) Estate agents
What do you think, Sam?
I’d be lying if I said I knew – but
based on personal experience I’d say estate agents – they’d find it too easy!
Ha – well that’s your opinion but I’ll let you know if you’re right at the end of the programme.
So, lying is something I’m sure a lot of us do – sometimes to avoid trouble, sometimes to cheat
people, or sometimes just to impress someone – did you know I can speak seven languages, Sam?
That’s just a barefaced lie, Rob!
But I can see how easy lying can be, and that’s what neuroscientist Sophie Scott thinks.
Here she is on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Seriously’ podcast, explaining how we sometimes lie just to be nice!
Often what we mean by lying is someone setting out to deceive us with their words or their actions
but actually normal conversation probably can only happen because we don’t actually say all
the time exactly what we really think and what we really mean. And that kind of cooperation
is at the heart, I think, of a lot of social interactions for humans and I think that’s one
of the strong pushes to make conversation polite and therefore frequently not actually truthful.
So Sophie mentions two types of lying. There’s the one when we try to deceive
someone – so that’s trying to hide something by tricking someone to gain an advantage.
Hmm, that’s like you getting me to pay £10 for a cinema ticket when actually they were only £5.
That’s just dishonest, but there are also what I like to call white lies – small lies we tell
to avoid upsetting someone. Those are lies that aren’t intended to give you an advantage.
Yes, Sophie Scott says we use them in
normal conversation – when we don’t say what we really mean.
So, we want to make conversation polite because we want to cooperate with each other – she says
cooperation is at the heart. Something that’s at the heart is the most important or essential part.
Now telling lies is one thing but how do you know if we’re being lied to? Sometimes there
are telltale signs, such as someone’s face turning red or someone shuffling their feet.
But if you really want to know if someone is lying, maybe we should listen to Richard Wiseman,
a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire. Here he is speaking on the ‘Seriously’ podcast…
Liars in general say less. They tend to have a longer what's called response latency,
which is the time between the end of the question and the beginning of the answer. And there also
tends to be an emotional distance in the lie – so the words ‘me’, ’my’, ‘I’ – all those
things tend to drop away in lies and it’s much much harder for liars to control what they’re
saying and how they’re saying it, so focus your attention there, you become a better lie detector.
Some good advice from Richard Wiseman. So to detect lies we need to listen out for the response
latency – a term used in psychology to describe the time taken between a stimulus or question
and a response to it. The bigger the gap,
the more chance there is that someone is lying. Is that a good summary, Sam?
Sort of, Rob. Richard also suggests we focus on – or concentrate on – what and
how people are saying things too. There’s probably more to it than just that.
Well now you know how to detect my lies, Sam, maybe honestly is the best policy – as they say.
So I’m now going to give you an honest answer to the question I asked earlier. A competition is
held in Cumbria, in the UK, every year to award the title of "The Biggest Liar in the World".
But which type of people are not allowed to take part?
a) Farmers
b) Lawyers
c) Estate agents
I guessed c) estate agents.
And you are wrong, I’m afraid. Lawyers, as well as politicians,
are not allowed to enter the competition. It’s claimed "they are judged to be too skilled
at telling porkies" – porkies is an informal word for ‘pork pies’ and that rhymes with ‘lies’.
Fascinating stuff, Rob and that’s no lie! But now,
shall we recap some of the vocabulary we’ve heard today?
Why not? A fib is a small inoffensive lie.
A white lie is also a small lie, told to avoid upsetting someone.
When you deceive someone, you try to hide something by tricking them to gain an advantage.
When something is at the heart of something, it is the most
important or essential part of it. And we heard about response latency – a term used in
psychology to describe the time taken between a stimulus or question and a response to it.
OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from 6 Minute English.
We look forward to your company next time. Goodbye!
Bye everyone!
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
And I’m Georgina.
What type of books do you like to read, Georgina?
I love reading crime fiction - you know detective stories by authors
like Ruth Rendell or Agatha Christie.
Really? Do you find them relaxing?
I wouldn’t say relaxing exactly, but I get really involved in the story – trying
to work out who the murderer is... then finding out on the last page.
That's interesting because today we’ll be looking at how books can help us
relax and feel more alive during troubled times. We’ll be finding out how reading is
one of the best ways to find relief from the pressures of modern life.
Neil, are you talking about ‘Bibliotherapy’?
Amazing detective skills, Georgina! Exactly. ‘Bibliotherapy’ is the prescription of books
as a remedy to sickness. It has been around since 2013, when the UK charity ‘Reading
Agency’ published a list of books that doctors could offer to patients,
tackling topics from depression to dementia to chronic pain.
Since then, 1.2 million readers have borrowed the scheme's books from libraries.
It's so successful that it's about to be extended to children as well.
I wonder which books have been most popular over that time?
In fact that’s my quiz question for today. What is the best-selling book of all time? Is it:
a) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J K Rowling
b) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, or c) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
I’ll say a) Harry Potter.
OK. Well, we’ll find out later if you’re right. In ‘Bibliotherapy’, people meet up to read together.
Professor Philip Davis, who runs these reading groups, believes they help the participants ‘come
more alive’. Here he is speaking to BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours about what he’s discovered.
Above all, that it’s not to do with scanning, with quick reading, when they’re reading literature. If
they’re just scanning, if you’re just looking for information, you go fast,
it’s very easy, it’s automatic but when literature begins to do something more complicated than that
in an area that emotionally you care about. The brain begins to work from different parts,
from a different hemisphere and it gets excited, it gets pre-emotional – you can see the brain
coming to life and it’s that life that is important in terms of these reading groups.
One type of reading is scanning – reading quickly in order to find specific information
or skimming the page to get a general understanding.
But the real therapy happens when a group reads literature – written works such as novels,
poems or plays which are thought to have artistic merit. When group members read
literature their brains get excited and start working from a different hemisphere – a word
meaning ‘half a sphere’ – usually half the Earth or in this case, the human brain.
Reading literature in this this way makes both the left and right hemisphere of
the brain come to life - start to be activated again after a quiet period.
And it’s this 'coming to life' that proves the therapeutic effects of ‘Bibliotherapy’.
Here’s Professor Davis again explaining how the benefits of group reading are observed.
There are two methods really – you can have ECG where you put electrodes on the
scalp and it measures electricity so that you can have a print-off of a graph of the
sudden leaps than can happen at particular moments in reading a poem or short story
or you can go into the scanner, the FMRI, and there, the blood flow, the oxygen indicates again
changes in the configuration of the brain as it takes in this new stimulus.
The benefits of reading literature with others can be felt by group members
as they begin to feel more alive and able to cope with life’s ups and downs. But they
can also be measured scientifically by recording brain wave activity.
This can be done by carefully attaching metal wires called
electrodes to the reader’s scalp – the skin under the hair on the head.
Brain activity is then measured by giving the reader a stimulus – something that encourages
activity in people. In this case, it could be a poem or novel to read.
Or something really stimulating – like a detective story!
Or a work of literature – which reminds me of today’s quiz question.
I asked you to name the most popular book of all time, and you said…
a) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone…
…which is definitely the most popular book in the 21st Century. But number one of all time,
selling over 500 million copies is c) Cervantes’ Don Quixote. And there’s even a detective in it!
Today, we’ve been discussing the therapeutic effects of meeting up with others in a
reading group to read literature – writing of artistic value, such as stories and poetry.
In contrast to scanning – reading quickly to find facts – reading groups use literature
as a stimulus - something that encourages activity in people.
Reading stimulates both the left and right hemispheres – the two halves of the brain,
and increases emotional activity
which can be measured on the scalp – the skin under the hair on a reader’s head.
All of which helps people dealing with trauma
to come to life – feel active and more alive after a quiet period.
Right, that’s it – I’m off to the library!
If only you could… Thanks for listening and remember you can find many more stimulating
topics and vocabulary here at 6 Minute English on BBC Learning English. Bye for now.
Bye!
Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Sam.
And I'm Rob.
Are good at complaining, Rob?
Of course not. I’m British! I never complain,
even when I get terrible service. It’s just too embarrassing.
Well, you might be in a minority now as it seems we British are complaining more
than we used to. We’ll look at this topic a little more after this week’s quiz question.
The oldest recorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum. It’s nearly 4000 years old.
What was the complaint about?
a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market
b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or
c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet
What do you think, Rob?
I’m just going to guess at the goats. Someone bought a load of goats and fewer were delivered
than were bought. That sounds good, but it’s just a guess.
OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme, and don’t complain if you get it wrong!
You and Yours is a BBC radio programme about consumer affairs.
On a recent programme they discussed the topic of complaining and customer service with Giles Hawke
from an organisation called the Institute of Customer Service.
He talks about different sectors. A sector is a particular area of business. Which sectors
does he say have most problems when it comes to keeping the complaining customer satisfied?
The sectors that probably have more problems than the UK average are public services,
telecommunications, transport and service sector. And there are probably some inherent
challenges within those sectors - they may have more impact on a day-to-day basis.
Those sectors which are performing well … travel is performing well, retail is performing well,
leisure appears to be performing well.
So, which sectors are not keeping the customer satisfied?
He says that public services, telecoms, transport and the service sector have most problems.
And he says that these sectors may have inherent challenges. What does he mean by that?
Well, some sectors, by their nature, are more complicated and more likely to cause problems
for customers. Public services, for example, often don’t have enough money or enough staff.
Telecommunications systems, such as your internet connection,
are very complicated and sometimes go wrong. Bad weather can affect transport,
and so on. So an inherent problem is a problem that is part of the nature of the thing itself.
So, those sectors are not performing well. We usually think of the word perform when we are
talking about actors or musicians, but in a business sense to perform well or badly
means to be successful or not, and, according to Giles Hawke,
travel and retail are performing well in terms of customer service.
Giles Hawke goes on to talk about how people are actually making their complaints,
but are modern methods taking over from the traditional letter or phone call?
We still see over 58% of complaints are made by phone or by letter so, you know,
the more traditional methods of making a complaint are still dominant, but we are seeing social media
rise, although it’s still a very small part of how people complain and it tends to be used as
an escalation point if people aren’t getting what they want dealt with in the first instance.
So, are people using modern methods more than traditional ones?
Actually, no. He says that phoning or writing a letter are still dominant.
This means they are still the main, most used methods for making a complaint.
Where people are turning to social media is if their complaint is not dealt with. To deal
with something means to sort it, to fix it – and if you complain and it’s not dealt with, then,
he says, people turn to social media as a form of escalation.
When you escalate a complaint, you take it to a higher level.
Putting your complaint on social media means that a lot more people are going to see it
and it might encourage a company to deal with the complaint.
Right, well before we receive any complaints, let’s review today’s vocabulary after the
answer to the question which was about a 4000-year-old complaint. Was the complaint about:
a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market.
b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or
c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.
Rob, what did you say?
I went for a). I went for the goats.
Sorry! It was actually a complaint about the quality of copper ingots or bars
that were supplied. If you knew that, very well done. If you guessed right,
also, very well done. No shame to get that one wrong.
And no complaints from me!
OK. Right, now vocabulary. We had sectors,which are particular areas of business in the economy.
Something that is inherent is a natural part of something.
It’s usually used to describe a problem or risk that is an unavoidable part of something.
How successful a company is can be describe as how well it’s performing.
And if something is dominant, it means it is the strongest or most used.
And if a company doesn’t deal with, or try to fix a problem, the customer might take
the complaint to the next level on social media, which would mean an escalation.
Thank you, Rob. That’s all from 6 Minute English this time. Do join
us again soon and don’t forget to check us out online. Bye bye!
Bye!
Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob…
And I'm Georgina.
Now, Georgina, how resilient are you?
Resilient? You mean able to cope with difficult situations.
I have a pile of work to do today, but I’m remaining calm and not getting stressed.
That's good, you are showing resilience. And today we’re
discussing whether we’re born with resilience or we have to learn it.
OK, Rob. But first I expect you’re going to ask me a question – bring it on!
OK. Resilience is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance
or object. But what does it mean? a) That it's is very tough or hard.
b) That it can return to its original shape after being bent.
c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.
I have a feeling it means b) an object that returns to its original shape after being bent.
OK, I'll let you know if you were correct at the end of the programme.
But let’s talk more about human resilience. There are many
self-help books and motivational speakers all promising us we can learn to be resilient.
Well, it is a useful trait to have,
and it’s something that can help you deal with many difficult situations
from coping with the pressures of work to handling the death of a loved one.
And it’s more than just telling someone to ‘toughen up’ or ‘get a grip’,
as Dr David Westley knows. He is Head of Psychology at Middlesex University
and talked about levels of resilience on the BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor.
First of all, there's our social supports, our communities, our families,
the people who are important to us, the organisations we work for, so one way we
can look at resilience is to measure that – the amount of social support available to us.
Another way to think about resilience is to think about how we think about the situations we are in.
So, for example, one way to look at that would be just to look at how optimistic people are
as a guide to how resilient they might be when times get tough. And then a third level that
we can look at for resilience is a biological level - how well we can soothe ourselves, calm
ourselves down, how well we can actually regulate our own nervous systems at times of distress.
Right, so Dr Westley describes social supports – the people around us who we
can talk to and support us and generally make us feel better. I think he’s saying,
with more support we feel more resilient.
It’s interesting to note that a resilient person isn’t necessarily someone quiet,
who doesn’t make a fuss and gets on with things. Some experts think it’s people
who ask for help and use this social support network who are acting in a more resilient way.
It’s a good point. And another level of resilience is how optimistic someone is. Being optimistic
means having positive thoughts about the future and believing things will turn out well.
A positive mind means you can deal with situations that, at first, look tough. Another level Dr
Westley mentioned was our biological level - how our bodies cope in times of distress.
Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.
So, when we’re distressed, a resilient person is able to soothe his or her body
and regulate his or her nervous system, which helps them stay calm.
But, Rob, the big question is, are we born with resilience or can we learn it?
Experts speaking on The Why Factor programme tended to think it could be learned.
Yes, one of them is Ann Masten, a professor at the University of Minnesota. From her studies,
she found it was something that we learn when we need to.
Ann Masten talks about how some of the children she studied
manifest resilience from the start. When something manifests, it shows clearly and is easy to notice.
They remain resilient despite adversity – a difficult time in their life they've had to face.
Rob Other children, what she calls
the late bloomers, started off less resilient, struggled with adversity, but turned their lives
around by becoming more resilient. Maybe we can learn resilience from a having a bad experience?
Well, one thing Ann went on to say was that families and friends
can be a great support and help with resilience.
Those that were ‘late bloomers’ only connected with adults and mentors later in life.
Yes, she says that teachers or parents are role models in how to handle adversity. And
children are watching; they're learning from the adults around them by seeing how they react
when they get challenged by something. Time now to find out how resilient you are when you
discover the correct answer to the question I asked earlier. I said that ‘resilience’
is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object.
But what does it mean? Is it... a) It is very tough or hard.
b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.
c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly. And what did you say, Georgina?
I said it was b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.
And you are right - well done! Bamboo is a good example of a resilient material – you
can bend it, it doesn’t break and returns to its original shape.
Thanks for the science lesson, Rob. Now we need to recap the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today…
Yes, we’ve talked about being resilient, an adjective that describes someone’s ability
to cope with difficult situations. When you do this you show resilience.
Someone who is optimistic has positive thoughts about the future and believes
things will turn out well.
Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.
When something manifests itself, it shows clearly and is easy to notice.
And adversity is a difficult time in somebody’s life that they have had to face.
And that brings us to the end of this discussion about resilience.
Please join us again next time. Bye bye.
Bye.
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgina.
Today we’re focussing on the topic of mental health at work.
Yes, it’s an issue that can be difficult to see. If someone has an injury, like a broken
leg or a serious medical issue, it’s obvious, and we can understand what’s happening. With
mental health issues, though, there’s no physical sign and people who are experiencing difficulties
maybe don’t get the same understanding as people who have medical problems.
It’s a topic that has been getting more publicity recently,
particularly as members of the British royal family have been talking about it. Also, awareness
is raised through events such as World Mental Health Day. And that is the topic of today’s quiz.
World Mental Health Day is held every year on October 10th. It aims to raise awareness of
mental health issues and their effects on people’s lives. In what year was it first held? Was it...
A: 1992 B: 2002
C: 2012
What do you think, Georgina?
I don’t know – I think it will be older than 2012,
but as old as 1992? I don’t know. I’m going to go with 2002
OK. I’ll have the answer later in the programme and we’ll see if you’re right.
Mental health problems are very difficult personally for those who suffer from them,
and they also have an impact on businesses. Paul Farmer is head of the mental health
awareness charity Mind. He spoke on the BBC World Service Business Daily programme about this.
How much does he says it costs businesses in the UK?
We know that the cost of failing to address mental health in business is colossal. In the UK,
it costs between 33 and 42 billion pounds a year, about $50 billion dollars, and round about 300,000
people fall out of work every year as a result of poor mental health. So that’s a
huge cost to workplaces and to individuals. Behind those numbers, though, are the lives of
talented, able, contributors who often just slide away from the
workplace because they don’t get the right help and support for their mental health.
What figures did Paul Farmer give there?
He gave the figure of about between 33 and £42 billion – which is about $50 billion dollars.
That’s a lot of money!
It is – in fact he called it colossal. This adjective means huge – really, really big.
This is the cost to business he says of failing to address the mental health issue.
Failing to address means ignoring or not dealing with the problems.
It leads to staff leaving work, and he says these people are contributors,
they give something to the business in terms of their skill and experience.
And because of mental health issues, which could be addressed but aren’t,
those contributors are being lost to the business. So it costs companies more money
to recruit and train new staff, and you can’t always replace the experience that is lost.
Let’s listen again.
We know that the cost of failing to address mental health in business is colossal. In the UK,
it costs between 33 and 42 billion pounds a year, about $50 billion dollars, and round about 300,000
people fall out of work every year as a result of poor mental health. So that’s a
huge cost to workplaces and to individuals. Behind those numbers, though, are the lives of
talented, able, contributors who often just slide away from the
workplace because they don’t get the right help and support for their mental health.
In recent years it seems as if there has been more understanding of mental health issues,
not just in the workplace but in society as a whole. Geoff McDonald
is a campaigner for the organisation Minds at Work. He also spoke on the
Business Daily programme about one way that things were getting a little better.
I think what’s really changed is people telling their stories,
and the more stories that we tell it kind of begins to normalise this.
Every single story that we tell is like sending a lifeboat out into the ocean
and the millions and millions of people who are suffering in silence, do you know what they do?
They cling on to that lifeboat and they realise they’re not alone and they might just be normal.
So, because more people are talking about this issue, it begins to normalise it.
This means it becomes ‘normal’. It’s not unusual, strange or hidden.
There are people who suffer in silence – they keep to themselves and hide their problems from others,
but because there is more publicity about this topic,
they can begin to feel that they are not alone and they don’t have to suffer in silence.
People sharing their stories are like lifeboats for those who
do suffer in silence. In this metaphor they can cling onto the lifeboats.
Right, we’re going to another look at today’s vocabulary, but first
let’s have the answer to today’s quiz. When was the first World Mental Health Day? Was it...
A: 1992
B: 2002 C: 2012
Georgina, what did you say?
I thought 2002.
It was actually earlier - 1992. Now, a review of our vocabulary.
Failing to address is a phrase that means ignoring a problem or not trying to help with a problem.
Something colossal is very, very big.
A contributor is someone who has something to give,
who is a positive benefit to, in this case, a business.
Then we have the verb to normalise, meaning to make something normal.
Someone who suffers in silence, doesn’t talk about their problems and may hide them from others.
And finally, if you cling on to something, you hold on to it tightly, you don’t want to
let it go. And that’s all from us from this programme. We look forward to your company
again soon. In the meantime find us online, on social media and on the BBC Learning English app.
Bye!
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Sam…
And I'm Rob.
In this programme, we’ll be talking about disagreeing.
No, we won’t!
I think we will, Rob. We’re discussing the following: ‘Is it good to disagree?’
I know, but I feel better for having that little
disagreement – so that proves it is good to disagree!
Well, I hate to disagree, but I think we
should explore this subject a little further first in the next six minutes…
Err, shouldn’t that be five minutes?
Rob, you are being pedantic – focussing too much on the small details or formal rules.
Maybe we should agree to disagree and move onto the quiz question I like to set you every week.
Yes, a good idea.
OK. So, do you know which spiritual leader is famous for saying
“Disagreement is something normal”? Is it… a) Pope Francis
b) The Dalai Lama, or c) Ravi Shankar
That’s tricky so I’ll have a guess and say b) the Dalai Lama.
OK, I'll let you know if that was correct at the end of the programme.
But whoever said ‘disagreement is something normal’ is probably
right. I’m sure we all disagree with someone about something – don’t we, Rob?
No… just joking! Of course disagreeing is normal – it would be boring if we agreed about everything.
However, I guess agreement, on some things, may have prevented a few wars.
Indeed, but it is a fascinating subject and it’s something the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘A Guide to
Disagreeing Better’ looked at. I think we should hear about how NOT to disagree first. This is
couples' therapist, author and speaker Esther Perel, who knows a thing or two about that...
In a battle, you position yourself in a hierarchy - one is on top of the other,
and then there is arguing that comes with a contempt in which it's not just that I don't
accept your point of view, is that, I actually really think you’re a lesser human being.
Right, so Esther explains that bad disagreement is a battle – one person tries to take a higher
position in the hierarchy. A hierarchy is a way of organising people according to their importance.
So, a disagreement doesn’t go well if one person thinks they’re more important than someone else.
And according to Esther, things also don’t go well if someone has contempt,
which is a dislike or lack of respect for someone or something.
And contempt in a bad disagreement can be more than just not liking somebody’s point
of view – their perspective on something – it could be thinking someone is a lesser human being.
Ouch! That’s not nice. Let’s think more now about
good disagreement. The BBC podcast Seriously has listed some tips for disagreeing better,
including not aiming for the middle ground – another way of saying 'compromising'.
It also suggests speaking truthfully, listening intently – that means giving
all your attention to what’s being said - and aiming for
empathy. But not feeling at the end of a disagreement that you have to agree!
I agree - and I’m sure former British politician Douglas Alexander would too.
He presented the programme ‘A Guide to Disagreeing Better’
and explained why he thought disagreeing is a good thing…
A couple of decades I spent as an elected politician
convinced me that disagreement is necessary if society is to progress
and a society that values civility over justice and truth would simply be a recipe for stagnation.
But honest conversations involve listening intently as well as speaking truthfully.
The thoughts of Douglas Alexander there, who, through his work as a politician,
is convinced that disagreement is a good thing.
He says we shouldn’t just follow the values of civility – that means polite behaviour.
It’s important to challenge and question thoughts and ideas – not just be polite and accept them!
Yes, and if we don’t challenge things and search for truth and justice, he feels it
would lead to stagnation – staying the same and not developing. The verb form is ‘to stagnate’.
But, he does say that when we discuss things and disagree we must be honest,
listen to the other person intently, and speak
truthfully. But I would add that this should be done politely and with respect.
Well, Sam, I’ve been listening to you intently,
and if I’m honest, I think it’s about time you gave me the answer to today’s question.
We can agree on that, Rob! So, earlier I asked you if you knew which spiritual leader is famous for
saying “Disagreement is something normal”? Is it… a) Pope Francis
b) The Dalai Lama, or c) Ravi Shankar
And, Rob, what did you say?
I said it’s b) The Dalai Lama.
And you were right - well done!
Now, if you’ll agree, could we recap some of the vocabulary we’ve discussed in this programme?
Of course. First of all, I was accused of being
pedantic - focussing too much on the small details or formal rules.
Then we mentioned hierarchy - this is a way of organising people according to their importance.
Contempt is a dislike or lack of respect for something or someone.
A point of view describes someone’s perspective on
something. Your point of view might be different from my point of view.
Indeed. And we also mentioned civility, which means polite behaviour.
And stagnation means staying the same and not developing. Would you agree, Sam?
You are right, Rob – and that brings us to the end of our discussion about disagreeing!
Don’t forget you can find lots more learning English materials on our website
at bbclearningenglish.com, on social media and on our app. Please join us again next time. Bye bye.
Goodbye.
Hello. This is 6 Minute English I'm Rob.
And I'm Neil.
Do you ever experience anxiety, Neil?
Anxiety?
Yes, you know, a feeling of being really worried or nervous without any real reason.
Well not really, but I know for some people it can be quite a serious problem.
Well anxiety may be a result of natural selection.
Natural selection? You mean, the principle behind evolution?
Yes. The idea that life on this planet has developed as a result
of random changes in biology over many many years.
So why have anxiety, that seems like a negative rather than a positive thing to develop?
Well, we’ll find out more in this programme, but before we do,
a quiz. Charles Darwin is famous for describing evolution by natural selection.
What was the name of the ship he travelled on when he made his discoveries? Was it:
a) HMS Beagle b) HMS Badger, or
c) HMS Bear? What do you think, Neil?
Well I’m pretty sure I know this one, so I’m not going to give away the answer just yet.
Well, you can let me know at the end of the programme, before I give the answer.
Right, Dr Randolph Nesse is a doctor and psychologist. He has written a lot about how
evolution has an impact on our mental condition, particularly anxiety. Recently he spoke on BBC
Radio 4’s ‘Start the Week’ programme about this topic. Listen out for the answer to this question.
How long did he treat patients at the University of Michigan for?
Natural selection has shaped all organisms to have special states
to cope with certain kinds of circumstances. I treated
patients with anxiety disorders for 40 years at the University of Michigan.
It was only half way through that I started realising that anxiety is there for a good reason.
So Neil, how long did he treat patients for at the University of Michigan?
He says that he did that for 40 years, but it was only after about
20 years or so that he realised that we suffer from anxiety for a good reason.
We’ll find out that reason shortly but first he said that natural selection has shaped all
organisms. This means that we are the result of natural selection. It has made us what we are.
And it has made us able to cope with different situations.
To cope with means being able to deal with, being able to manage a difficult situation.
And anxiety, if it’s not too great, is a way of dealing with particular situations.
Let's hear from Dr Nesse again.
Natural selection has shaped all organisms to have special states
to cope with certain kinds of circumstances. I treated
patients with anxiety disorders for 40 years at the University of Michigan.
It was only half way through that I started realising that anxiety is there for a good reason.
So why is anxiety a necessary thing, why is it something that, within reason, is not a bad
emotion. Here’s Dr Nesse talking about his patients who suffer from too much anxiety.
What you’re having is a normal kind of emergency response which is great in life-threatening
situations but for you it’s a false alarm like a smoke detector going off when you burn the toast.
And after that many of my patients said – ‘Oh, that makes perfect sense,
I think I won’t need your help after all, doctor'.
So what is anxiety?
Well, it’s your body reacting to danger, like an emergency response, a warning. In really dangerous
situations, which could harm you or even kill you, which Dr Nesse describes as life-threatening
situations, it’s a useful response to warn you to take action or to prepare for action.
But some people experience anxiety when there is no real danger.
It’s a false alarm, like when you burn the toast and the smoke detector alarm starts
or as he says, goes off! And he says that some patients can feel less worried after that,
when they realise anxiety is a natural thing Let’s hear from Dr Nesse again.
What you’re having is a normal kind of emergency response which is great in life-threatening
situations but for you it’s a false alarm like a smoke detector going off when you burn the toast.
And after that many of my patients said – ‘Oh, that makes perfect sense,
I think I won’t need your help after all, doctor'.
Time now to review today’s vocabulary, but first,
let’s have the answer to the quiz question. What was the name of the ship
Charles Darwin travelled on when he made his discoveries about evolution? Was it:
a) HMS Beagle b) HMS Badger, or
c) HMS Bear? What do you think, Neil?
Well, I’m pretty sure it’s HMS Beagle.
Well, you are right. Charles Darwin travelled on HMS Beagle. Congratulations
if you also knew that. Now, on with today’s vocabulary. We were talking about anxiety,
a feeling of being worried or scared, a feeling that something isn’t quite right.
Dr Nesse suggests that anxiety is a result of natural selection. This is
the principle of evolution whereby random changes in the biology of a living thing
can make it more likely to survive in a particular environment.
These changes shape the living thing. They make it what it is. They help it to cope with
different situations. Which means that they help it manage or deal with those situations.
A life-threatening situation is a very dangerous situation
which could cause serious injury or even death.
And finally there was the phrasal verb to go off. For example, if an alarm goes off,
it means that is starts making a loud noise as a warning. Right, before any alarms start to go
off here, we need to wrap up. That’s all from us today, do join us again next time. Until then,
you can find us online, on social media and on our app. Look out for bbclearningenglish. Bye for now.
Goodbye!
Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Sam.
And I'm Neil.
Do you like sad music, Neil?
Well, when I was younger and if I had a break-up with a girlfriend
I would listen to sad songs, songs which reflected my mood.
And do you still listen to those songs now?
Not so much, but I do still like them.
Well, it seems as if there might be a biological reason why some of us
do like sad songs. We’ll look at this topic a little more after this week’s quiz question,
which is about music videos. The music video has been around for a while, but in what year was
MTV, the first dedicated music video channel, launched in the US? Was it…
A: 1981, B:
1982, or C: 1983?
Well…
What do you think, Neil?
I’m going to guess. Is it the early 1980s?
Well, yes. Care to be more specific?
Well… Well, it was a long time ago – I was just a small boy. I'm going to go for 1982.
OK, I’ll have answer later in the programme. But first, more about sad songs. Professor David Huron
from Ohio State University has conducted research in this area and he discussed it recently on a BBC
World Service radio programme - The Why Factor. He was looking at why some people like sad music
and other people really don’t like it all, as he says they just can’t stand it. He believes
it’s to do with a hormone. A hormone is a natural chemical in our bodies which can have an effect
on various systems and also emotions. Listen out for the name of the hormone he mentions.
One of the things that we were interested in was ‘what’s the difference between people who listen
to sad music and who love it, and people who listen to sad music and who just can’t stand it'.
In our research, it started pointing towards a hormone called prolactin.
Now, prolactin, as you might have guessed from the name, is associated with
‘lactation’ from breast-feeding. When people cry, they also release prolactin. And,
there are circumstances in which prolactin seems to have this comforting effect.
So which hormone did he mention?
He talked about the hormone called prolactin which he said was connected to
lactation. This is the production of milk by mammals to feed their young.
What he noted was that this hormone can be released when people cry and in some cases
this hormone has a comforting effect. When something is comforting,
it makes you feel better, it calms your emotions. Let’s listen again.
One of the things that we were interested in was ‘what’s the difference between people who listen
to sad music and who love it, and people who listen to sad music and who just can’t stand it.
In our research, it started pointing towards a hormone called prolactin.
Now, prolactin, as you might have guessed from the name, is associated with
‘lactation’ from breast-feeding. When people cry, they also release prolactin.
And, there are circumstances in which prolactin seems to have this comforting effect.
So, what conclusions did he make about this hormone and how it might be working?
Professor Huron explains.
So the thought was that, perhaps what’s going on is that the people who are enjoying
listening to sad music are receiving some sort of excess of prolactin, and people who
are listening to sad music and they just find it incredibly sad and unhelpful and they just don’t
want to listen to it, maybe they’re not getting enough prolactin when they listen to the music.
So what is happening? Or as Professor Huron said, what’s going on?
Well, it seems quite simple, though I’m sure it’s very complicated. People who like sad
music are maybe getting too much prolactin or more than is normal – he describes this as an excess
of prolactin. And maybe people who don’t like sad music aren’t getting enough.
So, the idea is that prolactin is a hormone which we find comforting. If our bodies release it when
we hear sad music, it gives us a good feeling – but if prolactin isn’t released or there isn’t
enough of it, we just find the sad music sad and it doesn’t help to cheer us up.
I guess so, but you know emotions are funny things - it’s weird to think that
our feelings are caused by different natural chemicals that run around the body. Absolutely!
OK, we’re going to take another look at today’s vocabulary but first,
the answer to this week’s quiz. The music video has been around for a while,
but in what year was MTV, the first dedicated music video channel, launched in the US? Was it…
A: 1981,
B: 1982, or C: 1983?
And Neil, you said…
I said it was definitely the early 80s.
Well, you’re not wrong there, but which year exactly?
‘82?
Ah well, you’ll need to dig out a sad song to make you feel better now because the answer was 1981.
Oh dear, I can feel my prolactin levels dropping already!
I’m sure you can’t! But let’s move on to vocabulary.
If you can’t stand something, it means you really don’t like it.
A hormone is one of the body’s natural chemicals.
And the hormone prolactin is connected with lactation,
which is the production of milk by mammals.
Something that is comforting makes you feel better emotionally.
The phrase what’s going on has a very similar meaning to 'what’s happening'.
And an excess of something is 'too much or a more than normal amount of that thing'.
Well, before you have an excess of our company, we should wrap up. Thanks for listening and we
hope you’ll join us again soon. As ever, don’t forget that you can find more from the BBC
Learning English team online, across social media and on our very own app! Bye for now!
Goodbye!