Meet Stella — the pup who knows how to use 29 human words

"What a shock," said no dog lover ever.

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  • A speech language pathologist has taught her puppy Stella to use 29 words.
  • Stella "speaks" by stepping on large buttons programmed with recordings of words.
  • The dog expresses her desires, comments on household events, and offers opinions.
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Men and women speak different languages, shows study

New research finds how power dynamics shape the speech of men and women.

  • A new psychology study finds differences in speech patterns between men and women.
  • Men tend to use more abstract language, while women focus more on the details.
  • This tendency is due to power dynamics that can be changed, concluded the researchers.
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How can we improve the quality of higher education?

By welcoming various intrepid thoughts, we welcome learning.

  • Viewpoint diversity describes a community where you have people approaching questions from a range of different perspectives.
  • When you have a lot of people asking questions and interrogating claims from a lot of different perspectives, community members are better able to see the nuance in whatever that subject of inquiry happens to be.
  • Heterodox Academy improves the quality of scholarship in higher education by increasing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement across lines of difference. A range of viewpoints are allowed in and are then interrogated on campus.
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People think about breaking up more when they look outside their relationship for psychological fulfillment

Are your psychological needs being met?

As humans we all have psychological needs that we are driven to fulfill, be they companionship or safety, a sense of belonging or personal growth. And we often meet these needs through our relationships with others: They care for us, make us feel secure, and help us develop as individuals.

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Our surroundings impact how we behave while drunk, argues author Malcolm Gladwell

In Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the concept of coupling.

Photo: Chris Putnam / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
  • In his latest book, Malcolm Gladwell writes about the importance of environment in human behavior.
  • While your actions change when you drink alcohol, they're also tied into your surroundings.
  • Timothy Leary had a similar notion of "set and setting" that he applied to psychedelics.
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