Language affects how quickly we perceive shades of colour: who speak a language that has multiple words for different shades of colour perceive the shades more quickly

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#Language #Perception #Color #Words #Cognition

✨ A recent study published in the Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences found that most "harmful" words flagged by institutional guides are not perceived as offensive by the general public. Researchers tested 175 word pairs and found that while alternatives were slightly preferred, the targeted words were generally rated as acceptable.

✨ In a second experiment, 334 adults read a short story containing either the flagged words or their alternatives. No significant differences were found in psychological well-being, anxiety levels, or emotional states between the groups, even for participants from marginalized groups.

✨ The study, led by Michael A. Eskenazi of Stetson University, suggests that banning ambiguously targeted words may not be effective and could even be misguided. The findings indicate that language evolves, and words can lose their original derogatory meanings over time.

#Language #Psychology #Research