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A Generation’s Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics
The New York Times: A couple of years ago, as his fellow psychologists debated whether narcissism was increasing, Nathan DeWall heard Rivers Cuomo singing to a familiar 19th-century melody. Mr. Cuomo, the lead singer and
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Date Comedy
The New Yorker: Tad Friend writes this week about Anna Faris. His article is called “Funny Like a Guy,” and it discusses whether Faris’s style of humor can succeed in a movie industry that caters
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The Funny Business of Laughter
Focus: Chortling, sniggering, guffawing, tittering – it has so many names and yet it is one of the most mysterious aspects of human behaviour. Emma Bayley investigates a very peculiar habit. If an alien were
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Watch Your Language! Of Course–But How Do We Actually Do That?
Nothing seems more automatic than speech. We produce an estimated 150 words a minute, and make a mistake only about once every 1,000 words. We stay on track, saying what we intend to, even when
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Why are overheard mobile chats so annoying?
The Irish Times: It’s often the prelude to a loud, mundane and frankly irritating half-conversation that commuters within earshot have to witness. Whether it’s the minutae of the person’s oh-so-interesting day, blow-by-blow details of some
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Language Style Predicts Romantic Chemistry
Discovery News: Language style affects long-term relationship strength and the compatibility of existing and would-be couples, suggests a new study. Led by researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, the study — featured in the
