language | SPSP

How to Look Ironic With Your Face and Your Voice (and Should You?)

Young woman in yellow sweater with a curious expression and raised eyebrow

Facial expressions play an important role in understanding irony.

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How Long Does It Take to Get Over Someone? Social Media Data May Have the Answer

People’s words start showing signs of emotional distress three months before a breakup, lasting around six months afterwards.

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Moral Echo Chambers Breed Radicalization

Young man looking at laptop in dark room

Is there a connection between posting hate speech and being in a morally homogeneous group?

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Hidden but Widespread Gender Biases Emerge in Millions of Words

Computer science tools newly uncover the hidden but pervasive gender biases in language from children’s and adults’ books, TV shows, movies, and even everyday conversations.

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When Congress Speaks (and Posts and Tweets)

Male Politician Texting On Smart Phone in front of American Flag

Political ideology affects the language that we—and they—use.

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Don’t Talk Behind My Back!

Black man in foreground; coworkers gossip behind him

Hearing a message coming from behind us makes us perceive it more negatively than if the message came from a different direction.

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Does Your Self Live in Your Head—or in Your Heart?

Illustration of path from the heart to the brain

Where people think their self is located is related to what they believe, how they feel, and how they live their lives.

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Analyzing the Underlying Meanings of “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter”

Black Lives Matter protest at Hollywood & Vine. 2 JUN, 2020, LOS ANGELES, USA

The meaning of utterances, including social media hashtags, cannot be interpreted in isolation, and because of this, the meaning of phrases such as “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” is sometimes obscured.

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“Let’s Stay Safe; Please Keep Your Distance”: How to Politely Ask Other People to Maintain Social Distance

Couple separated while sitting on a couch

In our efforts to maintain social distance, asking other people to stay a safe distance away can be awkward and difficult. But research on how people make and interpret requests offers a solution.

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The Persuasive Power of “You”

Woman pointing at camera with both hands

Something as seemingly minor as a pronoun can affect people’s judgments of the right way to act.

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