So I think it's an incredible tragedy that we're losing all of this linguistic diversity, all of this cultural diversity because it is human heritage. It's testament to the incredible ingenuity and complexity of the human mind that all of these different perspectives on the world have been invented. This week, we kick off a month-long series we're calling Happiness 2.0. GEACONE-CRUZ: And you're at home in your pajamas, all nice and cuddly and maybe, watching Netflix or something. Sometimes, life can feel like being stuck on a treadmill. But the reason that it seems so elusive is because we don't really think about the, quote, unquote, "meaning" of things like our conversation-easing laughter. I decided it was very important for me to learn English because I had always been a very verbal kid, and I'd - was always the person who recited poems in front of the school and, you know, led assemblies and things like that. MCWHORTER: Language is a parade, and nobody sits at a parade wishing that everybody would stand still. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #9: (Speaking German). Today, we explore the many facets of this idea. So earlier things are on the left. VEDANTAM: I want to talk in the second half of our conversation about why the meanings of words change, but I want to start by talking about how they change. Assessing the Seeds of Relationship Decay: Using Implicit Evaluations to Detect the Early Stages of Disillusionment, by Soonhee Lee, Ronald D. Rogge, and Harry T. Reis, Psychological Science, 2010. And MIT linguist Ken Hale, who's a renowned linguist, said that every time a language dies, it's the equivalent of a bomb being dropped on the Louvre. BORODITSKY: Thank you so much for having me. We'll also look at how languages evolve, and why we're sometimes resistant to those changes. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking foreign language). All of these are very subjective things. But we have plenty of words like that in English where it doesn't bother us at all. Only a couple hundred languages - or if you want to be conservative about it, a hundred languages - are written in any real way and then there are 6,800 others. That is the most random thing. We'd say, oh, well, we don't have magnets in our beaks or in our scales or whatever. For more on decision-making, check out our episode on how to make wiser choices. Of course, eventually, the Finnish kids also figured it out because language isn't the only source of that information, otherwise it would be quite surprising for the Finns to be able to continue to reproduce themselves. So they've compared gender equality, gender parity norms from the World Health Organization, which ranks countries on how equal access to education, how equal pay is, how equal representation in government is across the genders. But then you start writing things down and you're in a whole new land because once things are sitting there written on that piece of paper, there's that illusion. There's not a bigger difference you could find than 100 percent of the measurement space. That was somehow a dad's fashion, and that I should start wearing flat-fronted pants. They shape our place in it. VEDANTAM: If you're bilingual or you're learning a new language, you get what Jennifer experienced - the joy of discovering a phrase that helps you perfectly encapsulate a feeling or an experience. Learn more. That's the way words are, too. You would give a different description to mark that it was not intentional. Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values, and Well-being, Goal Striving, Need Satisfaction, and Longitudinal Well-being: The Self-Concordance Model, Personal Strivings: An Approach to Personality and Subjective Well-being, Read the latest from the Hidden Brain Newsletter. What techniques did that person use to persuade you? Another possibility is that it's a fully integrated mind, and it just incorporates ideas and distinctions from both languages or from many languages if you speak more than two. What a cynical thing to say, but that doesn't mean that it might not be true. Our transcripts are provided by various partners and may contain errors or deviate slightly from the audio. this is hidden brain I'm Shankar Vedantam in the classic TV series Star Trek Mister Spock has a foolproof technique for accurately reading the thoughts and feelings of others the Vulcan mind I am Spock you James our minds are moving closer most most here are kind of hard we have new technology that gives us direct access to the minds of others so And as you point out, it's not just that people feel that a word is being misused. HIDDEN BRAIN < Lost in Translation: January 29, 20189:00 PM ET VEDANTAM: Well, that's kind of you, Lera. He says there are things we can do to make sure our choices align with our deepest values. And if the word bridge is masculine in your language, you're more likely to say that bridges are strong and long and towering - these kind of more stereotypically masculine words. 4.62. Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages? And I did that. You can't know, but you can certainly know that if could listen to people 50 years from now, they'd sound odd. It's how we think about anything that's abstract, that's beyond our physical senses. Many people have this intuition that, oh, I could never learn that; I could never survive in a community like this. Copyright 2023 Steno. Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships. If you're like most people, you probably abandoned those resolutions within a few weeks. I know-uh (ph) is there, or something along the lines of babe-uh (ph). I think that the tone that many people use when they're complaining that somebody says Billy and me went to the store is a little bit incommensurate with the significance of the issue. It has to do with the word momentarily. So that's a measurement difference of 100 percent of performance. How else would you do it? (Speaking Japanese). BORODITSKY: Well, I think it's a terrible tragedy. The transcript below may be for an earlier version of this episode. I'm Shankar Vedantam. I'm Shankar Vedantam. Many of us rush through our days, weeks, and lives, chasing goals, and just trying to get everything done. And if you don't have a word for exactly seven, it actually becomes very, very hard to keep track of exactly seven. BORODITSKY: Well, there may not be a word for left to refer to a left leg. In this week's My Unsung Hero, Sarah Feldman thanks someone for their gift more than 20 years ago. And I thought, wow, first of all, it would be almost impossible to have a conversation like that in English where you hadn't already revealed the gender of the person because you have to use he or she. So LOL was an internet abbreviation meaning laugh out loud or laughing out loud, but LOL in common usage today doesn't necessarily mean hysterical laughter. Happiness 2.0: The Reset Button. It might irritate you slightly to hear somebody say something like, I need less books instead of fewer books. June 20, 2020 This week on Hidden Brain, research about prejudices so deeply buried, we often doubt their existence. And as odd as that sounds, I can guarantee you if you watch any TV show with women under a certain age or if you just go out on an American street and listen, you'll find that that's a new kind of exclamatory particle. But they can also steer us in directions that leave us deeply unsatisfied. something, even though it shouldn't be so much of an effort. Personal Strivings: An Approach to Personality and Subjective Well-being, by Robert A. Emmons, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986. Imagine how we would sound to them if they could hear us. Whats going on here? According to neuroscientists who study laughter, it turns out that chuckles and giggles often aren't a response to humorthey're a response to people. GEACONE-CRUZ: It's a Sunday afternoon, and it's raining outside. You can find the transcript for most episodes of Hidden Brain on our website. But it turns out humans can stay oriented really, really well, provided that their language and culture requires them to keep track of this information. The transcript below may be for an earlier version of this episode. The size of this effect really quite surprised me because I would have thought at the outset that, you know, artists are these iconoclasts. But if you ask bilinguals, who have learned two languages and now they know that some genders disagree across the two languages, they're much less likely to say that it's because chairs are intrinsically masculine. Language as it evolved was just talking to an extent that can be very hard for we literate people to imagine. Shankar Vedantam, host of the popular podcast "Hidden Brain" has been reporting on human behavior for decades. Later things are on the right. VEDANTAM: I'm Shankar Vedantam. This week, in the final installment of our Happiness 2.0 series, psychologist Dacher Keltner describes what happens when we stop to sav, Sometimes, life can feel like being stuck on a treadmill. Podcasters use the RadioPublic listener relationship platform to build lasting connections with fans. How does that sound now? So to give you a very quick wrap-up is that some effects are big, but even when effects aren't big, they can be interesting or important for other reasons - either because they are very broad or because they apply to things that we think are really important in our culture. The dictionary says both uses are correct. Freely Determined: What the New Psychology of the Self Teaches Us About How to Live, by Kennon M. Sheldon, 2022. I've always found that a very grating way to ask for something at a store. And so, for example, can I get a hamburger? Researcher Elizabeth Dunn helps us map out the unexpected ways we can find joy and happiness in our everyday lives. This week, in the fourth and final installment of our Happiness 2.0 series, psychologist Dacher Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the challenges we all face at various stages of life. Bu VEDANTAM: My guest today is - well, why don't I let her introduce herself? And nobody wishes that we hadn't developed our modern languages today from the ancient versions. You can search for the episode or browse all episodes on our Archive Page. So bilinguals are kind of this in-between case where they can't quite turn off their other languages, but they become more prominent, more salient when you are actually speaking the language or surrounded by the language. The phrase brings an entire world with it - its context, its flavor, its culture. But if they were sitting facing north, they would lay out the story from right to left. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. VEDANTAM: There are phrases in every language that are deeply evocative and often, untranslatable. So to go back to the example we were just talking about - people who don't use words like left and right - when I gave those picture stories to Kuuk Thaayorre speakers, who use north, south, east and west, they organized the cards from east to west. So for example, if Sam grabbed a hammer and struck the flute in anger, that would be one description, like, Sam broke the flute. Language is something that's spoken, and spoken language especially always keeps changing. This week, we kick off a month-long series we're calling Happiness 2.0. Going the Distance on the Pacific Crest Trail: The Vital Role of Identified Motivation, by Kennon M. Sheldon, Motivation Science, 2020. But I don't think that it's always clear to us that language has to change in that things are going to come in that we're going to hear as intrusions or as irritating or as mistakes, despite the fact that that's how you get from, say, old Persian to modern Persian. VEDANTAM: I understand there's been some work looking at children and that children who speak certain languages are actually quicker to identify gender and their own gender than children who are learning other languages in other cultures. I'm Shankar Vedantam. VEDANTAM: One of the ultimate messages I took from your work is that, you know, we can choose to have languages that are alive or languages that are dead. If you still cant find the episode, try looking through our most recent shows on our homepage. If it is the first time you login, a new account will be created automatically. VEDANTAM: If languages are shaped by the way people see the world, but they also shape how people see the world, what does this mean for people who are bilingual? Sometimes, life can feel like being stuck on a treadmill. Our team includes Laura Kwerel, Adhiti Bandlamudi and our supervising producer Tara Boyle. Something new will have started by then, just like if we listen to people in 1971, they sound odd in that they don't say like as much as we do. VEDANTAM: I understand that there's also been studies looking at how artists who speak different languages might paint differently depending on how their languages categorize, you know, concepts like a mountain or death. Hidden Brain - Transcripts Hidden Brain - Transcripts Subscribe 435 episodes Share Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Speaking foreign language). See you next week. If you missed it, Think back to the last time someone convinced you to do something you didn't want to do, or to spend money you didn't want to spend. Perceived Partner Responsiveness as an Organizing Construct in the Study of Intimacy and Closeness, by Harry T. Reis, et. And you've conducted experiments that explore how different conceptions of time in different languages shape the way we think about the world and shape the way we think about stories. He's also the author of the book, "Words On The Move: Why English Won't - And Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally).". The only question was in which way. Copyright Hidden Brain Media | Privacy Policy, direct support to Hidden Brain by making a gift on our Patreon page, sponsorship opportunities on Hidden Brain. MCWHORTER: Yes, Shankar, that's exactly it. And it's just too much of an effort, and you can't be bothered to do it, even though it's such a small thing. I'm Shankar Vedantam. BORODITSKY: Yeah, that's true. No matter how hard you try to feel happier, you end up back where you started. 00:51:58 - We all have to make certain choices in life, such as where to live and how to earn a living. VEDANTAM: As someone who spends a lot of his time listening to language evolve, John hears a lot of slang. UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Speaking foreign language). Sometimes, life can feel like being stuck on a treadmill. Welcome to HIDDEN BRAIN. After claiming your Listen Notes podcast pages, you will be able to: Respond to listener comments on Listen Notes, Use speech-to-text techniques to transcribe your show and It goes in this pile. But that can blind us to a very simple source of joy that's all around us. Are the spoken origins of language one reason that words so often seem to be on the move? It Takes Two: The Interpersonal Nature of Empathic Accuracy, by Jamil Zaki, Niall Bolger, Kevin Ochsner, Psychological Science, 2008. That's what it's all about. Maybe it's even less than a hundred meters away, but you just can't bring yourself to even throw your coat on over your pajamas and put your boots on and go outside and walk those hundred meters because somehow it would break the coziness. But if you seed a watermelon, nobody assumes that you're taking seeds and putting them in the watermelon, you're taking them out. GEACONE-CRUZ: And I ended up living there for 10 years. : The Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Benefits of Sharing Positive Events, Perceived Partner Responsiveness as an Organizing Construct in the Study of Intimacy and Closeness, Read the latest from the Hidden Brain Newsletter. Hidden Brain: You, But Better on Apple Podcasts 50 min You, But Better Hidden Brain Social Sciences Think about the resolutions you made this year: to quit smoking, eat better, or get more exercise. Lera is a cognitive science professor at the University of California, San Diego. But what I am thinking is, you should realize that even if you don't like it, there's nothing wrong with it in the long run because, for example, Jonathan Swift didn't like it that people were saying kissed instead of kiss-ed (ph) and rebuked instead of rebuk-ed (ph). If you're a monolingual speaker of one of these languages, you're very likely to say that the word chair is masculine because chairs are, in fact, masculine, right? And so somebody will say, well, who was it who you thought was going to give you this present? podcast pages. So if the word for death was masculine in your language, you were likely to paint death as a man. Hidden Brain - You 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose Hidden Brain Aug 2, 2021 You 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose Play 51 min playlist_add Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the. They believe that their language reflects the true structure of the world. BORODITSKY: I spoke really terrible Indonesian at the time, so I was trying to practice. Psychologist Ken Sheldon studies the science of figuring out what you want. We call this language Gumbuzi. What techniques did that person use to persuade you? VEDANTAM: It took just one week of living in Japan for Jennifer to pick up an important, VEDANTAM: There isn't a straightforward translation of this phrase in English. So LOL starts out as meaning hardy-har-har (ph), but then it becomes something more abstract. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) If you're so upset about it, maybe you can think of a way to help her. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. It should just be, here is the natural way, then there's some things that you're supposed to do in public because that's the way it is, whether it's fair or not. And you can even teach people to have a little bit of fun with the artifice. He's a defender of language on the move, but I wanted to know if there were things that irritated even him. But it's so hard to feel that partly because our brains are on writing, as I say in the book. You can find the transcript for most episodes of Hidden Brain on our website. This is Hidden Brain. When the con was exposed, its victims defended the con artists. For example, when we started talking about navigation, that's an example where a 5-year-old in a culture that uses words like north, south, east and west can point southeast without hesitation. Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts are Influenced by Self-Esteem and Relationship Threat, by Shannon M. Smith & Harry Reis, Personal Relationships, 2012. Marcus Butt/Getty Images/Ikon Images Hidden Brain Why Nobody Feels Rich by Shankar Vedantam , Parth Shah , Tara Boyle , Rhaina Cohen September 14, 2020 If you've ever flown in economy class. There are different ways to be a psychologist. You also see huge differences in other domains like number. This week, we kick off a month-long series we're calling Happiness 2.0. Transcript 585: In Defense of Ignorance Note: This American Life is produced for the ear and designed to be heard. But time doesn't have to flow with respect to the body. And what we find is that if you teach people that forks go with men grammatically in a language, they start to think of forks as being more masculine. Today in our Happiness 2.0 series, we revisit a favorite episode from 2020. No matter how hard you try to feel happier, you end up back where. Accuracy and availability may vary. And so what that means is if someone was sitting facing south, they would lay out the story from left to right. Hidden Brain Feb 23, 2023 Happiness 2.0: Surprising Sources of Joy Sometimes, life can feel like being stuck on a treadmill. When we come back, I'm going to ask you about why languages change and whether there are hidden rules that shape why some words are more likely to evolve than others. If you grew up speaking a language other than English, you probably reach for words in your native tongue without even thinking about it. Subscribe: iOS | Android | Spotify | RSS | Amazon | Stitcher Latest Episodes: Happiness 2.0: The Reset Button Everyone wants to be loved and appreciated. But that can blind us to a very simple source of joy that's all around us. Not without written permission. Toward Understanding Understanding:The Importance of Feeling Understood in Relationships, by Harry Reis, Edward P. Lemay Jr, and Catrin Finkenauer, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2017. Happiness 2.0: The Only Way Out Is Through. BORODITSKY: One thing that we've noticed is this idea of time, of course, is very highly constructed by our minds and our brains. MCWHORTER: Exactly. And what he noticed was that when people were trying to act like Monday, they would act like a man. Which I think is probably important with the reality that this edifice that you're teaching is constantly crumbling. Parents and peers influence our major life choices, but they can also steer us in directions that leave us deeply unsatisfied. In this favorite 2021 episode, psychologistAdam Grantpushes back against the benefits of certainty, and describes the magic that unfolds when we challenge our own deeply-held beliefs. Many of us rush through our lives, chasing goals and just trying to get everything done. It turns out, as you point out, that in common usage, literally literally means the opposite of literally. Physicist Richard Feynman once said, "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." One way we fool ourselves is by imagining we know more than we do; we think we are experts. I'm . FDA blocks human trials for Neuralink brain implants. Does Legal Education Have Undermining Effects on Law Students? Many of us rush through our days, weeks, and lives, chasing goals, and just trying to get everything done. GEACONE-CRUZ: And I ended up living there for 10 years. BORODITSKY: The way to say my name properly in Russian is (speaking foreign language), so I don't make people say that. What we think of today as a word undergoing some odd development or people using some new construction is exactly how Latin turned into French. Subscribe to the Hidden Brain Podcast on your favorite podcast player so you never miss an episode. And he started by asking Russian-speaking students to personify days of the week. Long before she began researching languages as a professor, foreign languages loomed large in her life. I saw this bird's-eye view, and I was this little red dot. But somehow they've managed, not just by randomly bumping into each other. But I find that people now usually use the word to mean very soon, as in we're going to board the plane momentarily. We recommend movies or books to a friend. There are many scholars who would say, look, yes, you do see small differences between speakers of different languages, but these differences are not really significant; they're really small.

Bittersweet Nightshade Toxicity, How To Make Beats Louder, 2022 Silverado 1500 Fuel Tank Capacity, Websites Like 3dtuning, What Is The Fncs Pickaxe Called, Articles H