The Words We Use Are A Reflection Of Our Inner World
Have you ever asked yourself how important the words we use are? They exist to explain the meaning of objects and situations in such a way that the person hearing them will be able to access the shared information. We use the words to communicate with others, express ourselves and understand each other. Keep in mind that the ability to express what we feel with high precision is what really makes us human.
Language therefore has a great influence on what we take for granted and how our relationships develop. By observing how a person speaks, we will be able to take part in a lot of thoughts concerning the person’s attitudes and perceptions.
According to psychologist James W. Pennebaker, a researcher at the University of Texas, the way we use words through speech and writing says a lot about who we are and our psychological state, and far more than the actual content of those words.
Pennebaker has been analyzing written and oral speeches for 20 years. His conclusion is that the functional aspects of a sentence, such as pronouns, can say much more about our mood, how we think and who we are than verbs and nouns.
This researcher believes that the important thing lies in the pronouns and prepositions which, although they may not seem to have any semantic meaning, make up half of the words we use every day, because they show what we focus on.
What pronouns say about us
Words are important to us because we believe they convey ideas. But the shape and frequency we use them with says a lot about us.
People who lie almost never use the pronoun “I”, a trait that helps detect lies to 67%. Depressed people or melancholic people, on the other hand, use the pronoun “I” far too much. Statistics show that people who have committed suicide used the words “me”, “I”, “mine” in their writings twice as much as people in general. Furthermore, they rarely or never use the pronoun “us”.
In another study, Pennebaker showed that couples who use the words “I” and “us” are better at solving problems than couples who use the word “yours.”
The words we use define us
Words define us and help us communicate with ourselves. They always express something. We can show our anger, joy, sadness; in other words how we feel. Knowing how to communicate correctly implies aspects such as making oneself understood, understanding others and better understanding what is happening around one.
People who try to deceive others tend not to use pronouns or words that can describe their feelings. They prefer to use nouns and especially verbs. This type of person tends to use indirect and conditional ways of expressing themselves, for example: “would” and “could”.
Women are less concrete than men. They use fewer words that refer to orientation and places and more words that are about reflection. For example, “I think that”, “I think that” or “It seems that”. Men, on the other hand, categorize their world by counting, naming, and organizing objects.
Do not forget that when it’s time to interpret the words we use, even if the words define us, half of this depends on the one who says them and half on the one who hears them.
