What's Up Docs?24 Jun 2025

Will smiling make you happier?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this special episode, recorded before a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales, Chris and Xand discuss the anatomy of the smile, its evolutionary origins and some of the health claims about smiling. Is smiling uniquely human? Can the simple act of moving our muscles to form a smile make you feel happier? And is smiling the same across cultures and genders? To find out, they’re joined by several experts and an African street dog named Jack.

Featuring Professor Ben Garrod from the University of East Anglia, Dr Magdalegna Rychlowska from Queen’s University, Belfast and Sinead Rushe from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Ben Garrod Producer: Rami Tzabar Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree Editor: Kirsten Lass Assistant Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis and Grace Revil Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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Episoder(167)

Doctors' Notes: Relaxation

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about relaxation with philosopher and author Julian Baggani.They look at the history of relaxation, the activities we have chosen to do in o...

11 Aug 19min

Why is it so hard to relax?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they look at relaxation. We a...

11 Aug 28min

Doctors' Notes: Hydration

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about hydration with Dr John Whittle, a consultant in anaesthesia, critical care and perioperative medicine at University College Hospitals ...

4 Aug 22min

How hydrated should you really be?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode they’re exploring hydration. We...

4 Aug 28min

Doctors' Notes: Bad Advice

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professor Sunita Sah about why humans follow advice they suspect, or even know, is bad.They explore what first drew Sunita to this area of ...

28 Jul 27min

Why do we follow bad advice?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, they discuss a behaviour almos...

28 Jul 29min

Doctors' Notes: Eyes

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about eyes with Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik.The doctors want to know what particular things we should be doing to look after our eyes in the summer, including how to ...

21 Jul 20min

How can you look after your eyes?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, Chris and Xa...

21 Jul 29min