The science of science communication
From flatulence to river: experts and laymen don’t always agree about the meaning of words.
Language
Language
Not all questions seek answers
All kinds of well-known Dutch people have been in the news recently who “wanted to
Speaking of the nose: the unexpected role of sniffing during conversations
Imagine having a casual conversation and your conversation partner suddenly sniffs… No need to run
This is why “93% of communication is nonverbal” is a myth
Have you ever heard of the claim that 93% of communication is nonverbal? This often-repeated claim states that 55% of what you communicate comes from your facial expressions, 38% from your tone of voice, and the words you speak are only responsible for 7%. Although non-verbal communication is of course important, these numbers are not true at all. What is wrong with them? And where do they come from?
Social distancing is changing our social interactions
The current pandemic has us keeping our distance to reduce contagion, but is the physical distance affecting our social interactions? And how is it changing the way we speak?
Please stop hiding that you talk to yourself
We all talk to ourselves on a regular basis, and some of us get embarrassed
Reading: fuel for our brain
Reading comes so naturally, almost effortlessly, but not for the brain. Each sentence we read triggers great activation in our brain. Curious how?
The foundations of being multilingual
It’s always challenging to learn a new language. But once you speak it fluently, you
This is why swearing is #@$&!% great
Offensive language is used in times of anger, frustration, surprise, or delight, but is negatively perceived and censored in public spaces. Despite society’s general reproach of sh*tty words, what does research have to say about swearing?
Can you forget your mother tongue?
A lot of people assume that you can’t forget your mother tongue. However, although traces of it may persist forever, it is entirely possible to lose the ability to communicate in your native language. Here, we explore why and how this happens.