What in the World

What if the best way to stop fearing rejection is to seek it out? Rejection therapy - the idea of deliberately putting yourself in situations where you might be rejected - has exploded on social media. From asking strangers for favours to dancing on trains, people are documenting their experiences online.
Supporters say it helps people build resilience, reduce anxiety and stop taking rejection personally. But does rejection therapy actually work? Or is it just another viral self‑help trend?
In this episode, Claudia Hammond, a psychologist and BBC presenter, helps us unpack where rejection therapy came from, what psychology says about it, and why it’s taken off on platforms like TikTok. We also hear from Sophie Jones, who’s gone viral for her videos on the topic.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Baldeep Chahal, Chelsea Coates and Maria Clara Montoya
Editor: Verity Wilde

The Met Gala is the super bowl of fashion. It’s a relatively small event, only open to a small number of invited guests - usually around 450. Tables cost upwards of around $350,000 , while individual tickets are reported to go for about $75,000. And every invitee has to be signed off by ex-Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Celebs go out of their way to impress on the red carpet. Think Rihanna’s legendary yellow dress or Kim Kardashian’s ‘wet look’. But this year’s Met Gala feels a little bit different - partly because of it being sponsored by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Not everyone’s happy about a tech billionaire being involved.
Journalist Amy Odell (author of Anna: The Biography) has even called this year’s event ‘Tech Gala’. She joins us to explain why. We also chat about the super high ticket prices and why protest posters have been popping up around New York City.
Audio for this episode was updated on 5 May 2026.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Mora Morrison, William Lee Adams and Benita Barden
Editor: Verity Wilde

Tensions are high in the Middle East, not just because of the US-Israeli war with Iran but also because the region has been dealing with a long period of severe drought. The social and economic consequences of these events has fuelled a lot of online misinformation. It’s led some people to speculate that the extreme weather is being caused by foreign interference. This theory has spread all the way up to senior officials, with an Iraqi MP even discussing cloud theft on TV.
We unpack the possible roots of the ‘cloud stealing’ conspiracy with BBC climate disinformation reporter Marco Silva.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden
Editor: Verity Wilde

After literacy levels started to fall in Sweden, the country’s government is cutting down on tablets and laptops…and bringing back good old pens and paper. Not everyone thinks this is the right approach though. Some tech bosses say limiting technology in classrooms will leave pupils less prepared for an increasingly digital world - and make it harder for them to find jobs in the age of AI.
So - should more schools around the world follow suit and move away from screens?
In this episode, we unpack this education strategy and the research behind it with journalist Maddy Savage, who’s based in Stockholm. And we also hear from students across the globe, to get their take on whether going (more) analogue improves how we learn.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Chelsea Coates
Video producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

Under new rules brought in by Fifa, footballers who cover their mouths during verbal confrontations will be sent off at this year’s World Cup. It’s hoped that these measures will help prevent abusive behaviour.
Some critics of the rule say that footballers speaking with their shirts raised or hands covering their mouths is a habit they’ve adopted to protect their privacy when they’re surrounded by cameras. But the behaviour became a high profile issue in February after an incident where Benefica’s Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. Prestianni was later banned for six matches for homophobic conduct after an investigation into what he said.
BBC Sport reporter Sam Harris tells us how this new rule might work in practice.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden
Editor: Verity Wilde