The Why Factor

Is there any truth to claim that the mother daughter relationship is more fraught than any other dynamic? Psychologist Professor Terri Apter explains how conflict can help mothers and daughters renew their bond. Mother and daughter team Sally and Sarah Kettle advocate shared experience as a way to strengthen family ties, something they found while rowing across the Atlantic together for four months, and comedian Sindhu Vee talks about the unique features of a mother’s expectations. We also hear how, despite the best of intentions, many mothers can disempower their daughters in order to thrive in a patriarchy. Author and women’s rights activist Elif Shafak warns about the ways daughters are taught to blend in, especially in cultures which are more gendered. Dr Leyla Hussein has had first-hand experience of female genital mutilation, and explains how women have become the foot soldiers of a patriarchal system that promotes such practises. Writer and matriarchy scholar Vicki Noble describes how the mother daughter dynamic is different in societies where women wield power, and life coach Kasia Urbaniak, who teaches women the foundations of power and influence, explains what a mother can do to empower her daughter. Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Edwina Pitman Editor: Richard KnightPhoto: Mother and daughter together. Credit: Getty Images

Fathers are often regarded as secondary parents in many cultures, perhaps even more so when they have girls. We examine why this can be damaging, and the ways in which fathers can have a profound influence on how their daughters navigate the world.Evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin explains why human fathers are in the only five per cent of mammals that stick around after the birth of their offspring, and why that’s important, particularly for girls. Father and daughter team Jerry and Chloe Hughes, who run a fine art foundry, talk about how working together has changed their family dynamic for the better.We also look at the consequences of a dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. Professor of Adolescent and Educational Psychology Dr Linda Nielsen describes how a poor relationship with a father affects a daughter’s life choices well into adulthood.Writer and podcaster Carvell Wallace gives some sage parenting advice to fathers of teenage girls, and we hear from Australian dad Jonathan Poyter, who took part in a 13-week programme called DADEE at Newcastle University in Australia, where dads and daughters learn to bond through sports. And it’s not just a one way street. Dr Joan Costa-Font, professor in the Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics, tells us about his latest research, which shows that daughters also have a big impact on the behaviour of their fathers.Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Edwina Pitman Editor: Richard KnightPhoto: A father and daughter playing (Credit: Getty Images)

We are told obesity is on the rise - globally. But if you think about it, how often do you see an obese chief executive, or tech entrepreneur, or politician even? Especially a female one. Perhaps the reason is because society discriminates against fat people.In this Why Factor we explore why it is OK to be anti-fat, where that attitude comes from, and what it feels like to be on the receiving end of society’s prejudice. Producer: Gemma Newby(Photo: A woman and a man sit together. Credit: Getty Images)

Beauty pageants project an image of inspiring glitz and glamour. Often contestants enter these competitions to boost their confidence and take advantage of the platform they provide. But, there are plenty of critics who argue they objectify women, and are out of place in a world striving for gender equality. In this week’s Why Factor, Sandra Kanthal asks: in an age of female empowerment, why do women still compete in beauty pageants?Presented and Produced by Sandra Kanthal Editor: Richard KnightAudio clips courtesy of: Binibining Pilipinas 2010- Crowning Moment Audio: From Youtube footage Credit: Name: tpageant Virtually Viral – Guys Go Insane over Miss Philippines Audio: From Youtube footage Credit: Name: Virtually Viral Miss Universe 2015 Audio: From Youtube footage Credit: Name: Vevo/Fox Miss Peru 2017 Audio: From Youtube footage Credit: Name: Guardian NewsPhoto: Silhouette of woman holding a beauty queen crown Credit: Getty Images

Instagram’s one billion users love architecture. If you search for #architecture, you will get hundreds of millions of results. Some architecture publications have more followers than household names like Cosmpolitan for example. We also seem to love to use buildings as a backdrop to our own vanity, as the number of selfies on Instagram proves. But if architecture is so popular on the platform, does that mean that architects are now starting to design our buildings and public spaces to be Instagrammable? Australian architect Scott Valentine tells us that is increasingly what clients are asking for. So much so, he’s created an Instagram design guide for architects. Carl Turner, who is behind the new multi-use building called Peckham Levels in London, which is also very popular on the app, says that Instagrammability was on the clients’ brief. We also hear from architect Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, who works for Rem Koolhaus’s Office of Metropolitan Architecture. He is worried how the need to be always be on social media affects up-coming architects. Travel writer Helen Coffey explains how cities are exploiting Instagram to attract visitors with installations and space design – from big, signature pieces like Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel in New York to fairly crude attempts featuring temporary pastel walls with fake flowers and large letters spelling a city’s name.But it is not just conventionally pretty and shiny that catches the eye of Instagrammers. St Louis photographer Demond Meek became popular with his haunting photos of dilapidated houses in his city. He credits the immediacy of the platform for getting him out of a creative rut.Art and architecture historian Philip Ursprung points out that photography and architecture have a long, common history, but also warns that many new cities are increasingly created to look good on photos and from afar, but are out of proportion and unpleasant to be in.Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Producer: Rose De Larrabeiti Editor: Richard KnightImage: Monster Building (Quarry Bay) Hong Kong Credit: Getty Images

The concept that you can get ahead on your work and talents, also called meritocracy, is something we mostly agree is good. We also equate it with a fairer society, one where the social order is not determined by birth but one which gives us some sort of agency over our futures. However the term itself was coined as a warning. So why do we believe in it so strongly? The sociologist Michael Young first used the term to describe a dystopia where believing in meritocracy would legitimise inequality. We speak to his son, the journalist Toby Young, about his father’s and his own views about shortcomings of meritocratic societies. We hear from schoolgirls in inner-city London who question meritocracy, but are determined to get ahead in the world regardless. Entire cultures and societies are formed around the concept of meritocracy. Psychology Professor Shannon McCoy tells us about the American Dream and how buying into it can alter people’s well-being, and Prof Ye Liu tells us about the civil servant exams of ancient China and the country’s current relationship with meritocracy. Finally the author Anand Giridharadas cautions us about buying into this concept and gives us the view from both India and Silicon Valley, and consultant Joelle Emerson talks about how she tries to help tech companies in California hire more diverse workers. Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Ivana Davidovic Editor: Richard Knight

We live in a world where going fast – and faster – is an everyday fact of life. Where fast cars, fast boats and fast athletes command our attention. In theme parks we queue for the most fastest, most exciting rides. But why do we find speed so thrilling? Caz Graham meets people who risk their lives to set world speed records, the boss of a Formula One race team, and a sports psychologist to ask – why are we so taken with speed?What motivates people like Formula 1 or speed boat drivers to stretch themselves to the limits of what might be dangerous? Do we like scaring ourselves? Caz visits the annual Coniston Power Boat Records Week in the English Lake District to meet the teenager who hopes to break a world water speed record and she hears of the risks that going at speed on water can entail. She hears from a ‘thrill engineer’ about why people like to ride roller-coasters. From the psychologist who worked with the UK’s Olympic cycling team in 2016, Caz hears what it takes psychologically to be able to want to go faster and faster. And from the man in charge of Renault’s Formula One team she discovers the engineering effort that goes into designing fast cars – and what it takes to be the driver of such cars as they race around high speed tracks.(Photo: Zapcat powerboat racing, Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, UK. Credit: Education Images/UIG/Getty Images)

When things go wrong, we crave something or someone to blame. It’s a strategy which puts people on the defensive, and can create a toxic culture. People remember when they have been blamed for something, and will be quicker to deflect blame themselves. It’s a primitive emotion which can be found in almost every society. In this edition of the Why Factor, Sandra Kanthal asks: why do we play the blame game?Contributors to this programme include: Mark Alicke, Psychology Professor, Ohio University Terri Apter, Psychologist and Author of Passing Judgement: The Power of Praise and Blame in Everyday Life. Charlie Campbell, Author of Scapegoat: A History of Blaming Other People Dr Cicely Cunningham, Oncologist and founder of the campaign: Learn Not Blame Richard Gowthorpe, Criminal Defence Lawyer Armele Philpotts- relationship and family therapist and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.Image: Pointing Fingers Credit: Getty Images

The number of smart speakers in US households has increased by 78% year-over-year, from 66 million in December 2017 to 118 million in December 2018. About ten million people in the UK now use one and, on average, one in 10 people in the world now own a smart speaker. And it does not seem like the rise is stopping any time soon.Presenter Paul Bakibinga investigates the current possibilities of a smart home and voice design. Together with experts he explores how owning a virtual assistant - always on and always listening - introduces a whole host of issues to consider - from privacy through to child development and rampant consumerism. But, using your voice for browsing the internet, playing music or ordering groceries has proved to be a lifeline for disabled and elderly users.We hear from child psychologist Rachel Severson, online privacy expert Florian Schaub, computer voice expert and psychologist Jonathan Gratch, Google’s Cathy Pearl and the author of Radical Technologies Adam Greenfield. We are also invited to a multi-generational home of smart speaker users who don’t all agree whether these machines are a force for good or another way of surrendering our privacy.Presenter: Paul Bakibinga Producer: Ivana Davidovic(Photo: Smart Speaker. Credit: Getty Images)

A present connects, communicates and makes people generally happy. It can strengthen a relationship, but also jeopardise it. Have you ever wondered why a certain present was chosen for you? And how much thought goes into the presents you give? This Why Factor unwraps the social complexities that surround the giving of gifts. Lore Wolfson finds out what makes a perfect present and receives clues on how to choose it. While revealing the risks inherent to the act, especially when a gift is given across cultures, she also learns why it’s best not to give a clock to someone from China and seeks advice on the pitfalls that need to be navigated.A psychologist uncovers some underlying motivations of why we give presents and shares tips on dealing with disappointing ones.The truth about gifts – donated free and without obligation – in the Why Factor.Presenter: Lore Wolfson Producer: Sabine Schereck Editor: Andrew Smith Picture Credit: Getty Creative / iStock / AntonioGuillem