The Invisible Influence of Language — with Lera Boroditsky

One of the oldest technologies we have is language. How do the
words we use influence the way we think?


The media can talk about immigrants scurrying across the
border, versus immigrants crossing the border. Or we might
hear about technology platforms censoring us, versus
moderating content. 


If those word choices shift public opinion on immigration or
technology by 25%, or even 2%, then we’ve been influenced in ways
we can't even see. Which means that becoming aware of how words
shape the way we think can help inoculate us from their undue
influence. And further, consciously choosing or even designing
the words we use can help us think in more complex ways – and
address our most complex challenges.


This week on Your Undivided Attention, we're grateful to have
Lera Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist who studies how language
shapes thought. Lera is an Associate Professor of Cognitive
Science at UC San Diego, and the editor-in-chief of Frontiers in
Cultural Psychology.


Clarification: in the episode, Aza refers to Elizabeth Loftus'
research on eyewitness testimony. He describes an experiment in
which a car hit a stop sign, but the experiment actually used an
example of two cars hitting each other.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA 

How language shapes the way we think


Lera Boroditsky's 2018 TED talk about how the 7,000 languages
spoken around the world shape the way we think


Measuring Effects of Metaphor in a Dynamic Opinion Landscape


Boroditsky and Paul H. Thibodeau's 2015 study about how the
metaphors we use to talk about crime influence our opinions on
how to address crime 


Subtle linguistic cues influence perceived blame and financial
liability


Boroditsky and Caitlin M. Fausey's 2010 study about how the
language used to describe the 2004 Super Bowl "wardrobe
malfunction" influence our views on culpability


Why are politicians getting 'schooled' and 'destroyed'?


BBC article featuring the research of former Your Undivided
Attention guest Guillaume Chaslot, which shows the verbs YouTube
is most likely to include in titles of recommended videos — such
as "obliterates" and "destroys"

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES 

Mind the (Perception) Gap:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/33-mind-the-perception-gap


Can Your Reality Turn on a Word?:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/34-can-your-reality-turn-on-a-word


Down the Rabbit Hole by Design:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/4-down-the-rabbit-hole-by-design