BOX SET: 6 Minute English - Emotional Wellbeing English mega-class! One hour of new vocabulary!

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!