Psycholinguistics
How the words we have, and the languages we speak, shape what we feel.
13 essays
The Unsafe Sense of Security
At the very beginning of life, we are born into darkness and warmth—the womb—and we exist in a curled, safe position. As we grow, we never stop craving that sense of…
Why We Start Sounding Like the People Around Us
Have you ever spent a few days with someone and suddenly caught yourself using their favorite phrase?
A Lie in Another Language: Why Truth Feels Different When We Translate It
First, you say it in your first language. Then, you say it in a language you learned later. The words may mean the same thing, but somehow they do not feel exactly the…
Why the Words We Use for Feelings Matter
You feel your chest tighten after a conversation. You reread a message and sense something has shifted. You sit in your room after school, unable to decide whether you…
Why Compliments Make Us Uncomfortable
Someone says you did well. Someone calls you smart. Someone tells you that you look good today. Instead of simply accepting it, you deflect. You laugh. You downplay. You…
Why We Feel Most Honest Late at Night
There is something about late night honesty. Confessions feel easier. Messages get longer. Thoughts that stayed buried all day suddenly surface. We tell the truth when…
Why We Are Drawn to Watching Other People’s Lives
Many of the most watched videos on social media apps are quiet and uneventful. Someone studies. Someone cooks. Someone cleans their room. Nothing dramatic happens. And…
Why We Soften Our Language When We Are Afraid
We rarely say what we mean directly when it matters most. Instead, we hedge. We say kind of, maybe, I was just wondering, or this might sound stupid, but. Our sentences…
Why We Talk to Ourselves: The Hidden Science of Inner Speech
We talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone else. Sometimes it’s a whisper in the mind: Did I lock the door? You can do this. Don’t forget your lines. Other times…
The Language of Love: Why Certain Words Feel More Emotional Than Others
Why do some words hit us harder than others? Why does “I miss you” feel tender, while “miss u” feels hollow? Why do certain languages carry emotions we can’t translate:…
Why Do We Write Poems?
Coming back from summer vacation, you feel both refreshed and faintly miserable. The break is over, the work begins again, and the hallways smell of printer ink and…
Do Bilinguals Have Different Personalities in Each Language?
Many bilinguals have noticed something curious: they feel like a different person depending on which language they are speaking. Someone might feel more confident and…
How Quechua Makes You Account for Emotion: The Linguistics of Grief
Recent advances in psycholinguistics and cultural anthropology reveal how linguistic structures influence grief. In Quechua, a major Indigenous language family spoken in…