Spoken and Unspoken

We communicate with each other in all sorts of ways, spoken and unspoken. Our words and methods of communication affect us, more than you might expect. Linguist John McWhorter says that there's much more to texting — linguistically, culturally — than it seems, and it's all good news. Biologist Mark Pagel discusses how language transformed humanity. Phuc Tran, who is both a Classicist and a tattooer, explains how being caught between two languages with opposing cultural perspectives shaped his identity. Etymologist Mark Forsyth offers a short tutorial in political speak and shares the surprising back story on the term "president." And social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how "power posing" can affect our brains, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Learn more or listen again to this week's episode.

Banner image: Thinkstock