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
Communication and language
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Expert tips on using gestures to think and talk more effectively
The gesticulations that accompany your speech are so much more than mere hand-waving – they contain and convey meaning
by Susan Goldin-Meadow
Why that hard conversation will probably go better than you think
If you’ve delayed raising a touchy issue, fearing it will backfire, new research could give you the confidence you need
by Matt Huston
This is what a Neanderthal conversation would have sounded like
Neanderthals had language, but it differed from ours in an important way that could help explain our superior art and tech
by Steven Mithen
I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians
If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in
by David Rothenberg