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Photo of a person in a blue jacket standing on a train platform, staring at the tracks in a thoughtful pose.

Conflict and conflict resolution

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How to respond to offensive comments in a thoughtful way

When someone insults you or people you care about, this advice can help you figure out whether to speak up and what to say

by Alicia del Prado

Photo of a woman in a colourful striped dress smiling as photographers take pictures at a crowded event.

Thinking and intelligence

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Why do beautiful people also seem smart and likeable?

Psychologists have known about the ‘halo effect’ for ages. New research suggests the power of language can help explain it

by Chris F Westbury & Daniel King

Photo of a calm lake at dusk with a hippo partially submerged, only its eyes and ears visible above the water’s surface.

Communication and language

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Metaphors open up our minds – but can also shut them down

The best analogies in poetry and science really crackle, but when do they expand our thinking and when do they constrain it?

by Claire O’Callaghan

Painting of two weasels playing among trees in a vibrantly coloured landscape.

Communication and language

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For this unsung philosopher, metaphors make life an adventure

Susanne K Langer understood the indispensable power of metaphors, which allow us to say new things with old words

by Sue Curry Jansen & Jeff Pooley

A group of people shown through reflective surfaces creating a layered effect, one wears a purple ribbon.

Communication and language

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To have deeper conversations, try being more of an asshole

Conversation is a game with rules about politeness and norms. To move beyond small talk, you need to risk breaking them

by Idil Çakmur

Painting with surreal figures including a fish-headed person and abstract human forms with a dark sky.

Communication and language

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Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works

Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech

by Elek Lane

A classical painting of two women and a man in a lavishly decorated room with ornate furniture and clothing, 19th century style.

Ethics

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The curious paradox in how we address each other today

While honouring people’s preferred pronouns, we’ve begun to neglect forms of formal address. Perhaps we need a rethink

by David Benatar

A kakapo, a flightless parrot, perched on a mossy branch in a forest setting.

Cultural diversity

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Insularity can be a good thing, for creatures and cultures alike

The plight of threatened species can help us understand – and respond to – the endangerment of local ideas and practices

by Antone Martinho-Truswell

A group of people engaged in a heated discussion outdoors with diverse expressions and gestures.

Communication and language

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Why every utterance you make begins with a leap of faith

Time pressure and the limitations of memory compel you and your listener to engage in a fascinating linguistic trade-off

by Julie Sedivy

An ancient Greek clay jug with red stripes and inscriptions against a dark background.

Communication and language

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I am an article about the speaking objects of ancient Greece

Talkative drinking cups and threatening oil flasks tell us how the written word asserted its authority in an oral society

by Teddy Fassberg

Photo of an aeroplane parked at Bologna Airport with the terminal and control tower in the background.

Communication and language

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Speaking a different language can change how you act and feel

For many multilinguals, switching between tongues can lead to shifts in personality, revealing the malleability of the self

by Antonella Gismundi

Photo of a bustling night market with colourful tricycles, a crowded street and illuminated stalls in the background.

Communication and language

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The tentacles of language are always on the move

An evolutionary biologist explains how human language can shift as slowly or rapidly as organisms adapting to life on Earth

by Klaus M Stiefel