language
Men and women speak different languages, shows study
New research finds how power dynamics shape the speech of men and women.
Why clear definitions are key to intelligent discussions
Being precise about our ideas doesn't just allow us to have better conversations, it's also an incisive way to learn.
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Your political views can predict how you pronounce certain words
How do you say "spiel"? Whether you say "shpeel" or "speel" may have to do with how you vote.
Did Trump demand a quid pro quo? Harvard cognitive psychologist weighs in.
Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker reminds us that innuendo and euphemism yield better quid pro quo results than an "or else" ultimatum.
How we view our environment impacts our wellbeing, says Australian philosopher
In his book, Earth Emotions, Glenn Albrecht coins "psychoterratic."
Want to seem more authentic? Use politically incorrect language.
Politically incorrect speakers seem less calculated and more "real," according to the authors of a new Berkeley study.
Children with an older brother have poorer language skills than those with a big sister
Girls tend to have more advanced language skills than boys, the researchers state.
Why Slavoj Zizek thinks political correctness is dumb
Zizek is on the left and dislikes political correctness. How does that work out?
The ‘warspeak’ permeating everyday language puts us all in the trenches
Warspeak has relentlessly crept into most aspects of American life and public discourse.
What does Slavoj Žižek mean when he talks about ideology?
He goes on and on about ideology, but what does it mean?
Have you accidentally offended someone? Here’s advice for you and them.
Here's what to say in an era where many people are too afraid to say anything.
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Can you guess the legend to this map?
It shows Europe divided into two bafflingly unfamiliar blocs - what do red and blue stand for?
Should Bernie Sanders drop socialism?
The term socialism makes political discourse difficult. Should we do away with it altogether?
5 unusual, evidence-based ways to get better at a new language
It's hard not to conclude that if you act like a child, maybe you'll learn as effectively as a child, too…
What is the origin of thinking? A new book argues that it’s action, not language.
Barbara Tversky takes an outdated idea to task in Mind in Motion.
Should you defend the free speech rights of neo-Nazis?
Former president of the ACLU Nadine Strossen discusses whether our society should always defend free speech rights, even for groups who would oppose such rights.
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Public speaking: 7 ways to master speechcraft
If the only advice you've heard on public speaking is to imagine the audience in their underwear, this article's for you.
Learning another language should be compulsory in every school
Being bilingual has cultural, social, and cognitive benefits — so why are schools dropping language courses?
Free speech: The history every American should know
What can and can't you say? A brief glimpse of precedent-setting free speech cases in the United States.
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Why pitting prejudices against each other keeps society free
Should all speech be free? How much intolerance should society tolerate?
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The human brain doubled in power, very suddenly, 200,000 years ago. Why?
A long-ridiculed theory about humankind's early leap of consciousness is revived.
Why do we feel schadenfreude — and who it feels it the most?
Delving into the psychology of an uncommon joy.
Why humans struggled to make ‘f’ and ‘v’ sounds until farming came along
Love to drop F-bombs? Thank the shift to agriculture.
Chimp gestures and human language are underpinned by same mathematical principles
Are these two laws universal throughout nature?
Did ancient cave artists share a global language?
The same 32 symbols show up in prehistoric European cave art.
How to use a thesaurus to actually improve your writing
Looking up big, fancy words won't make your writing better. But a thesaurus can help – if you use it like this.
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Is cursive writing important to child development?
Legislators push to keep cursive in their schools' curricula, but experts seem split as to whether it's necessary.