What's Hidden in Your Words

In The Language Instinct, experimental psychologist Steven Pinker argues that language is an innate, biological ability in humans—not just an element of human culture that gets passed from person to person. Pinker contends that just like the chameleon’s ability to camouflage itself or the falcon’s high-speed flight, the ability to produce and interpret complex language is an evolved human superpower.

Pinker aims to inspire readers to appreciate the unique qualities of human language. He also advocates for a functional, rather than a purist, approach to language and grammar, arguing that if a new slang term or speech pattern helps people communicate nuanced ideas, then it enhances language rather than diminishes it.

In the guide, we’ll explore many facets of human language: how our brains process speech, why children can rapidly master new languages, and why we shouldn’t be afraid to toss out arbitrary grammar conventions. Throughout the guide, we’ll also provide updates on research that explains the inner workings of language and discuss counterarguments by Pinker’s critics.

Wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to take one look at someone and know instantly what they’re thinking, what they want, and what sort of person they are? In Read People Like a Book, social interactions specialist Patrick King argues that you can come close to doing that by learning how to interpret peoples’ speech, behavior, and body language, and by using psychological principles to glean insights into their motivations and personalities. This ability allows you to more effectively navigate relationships, deal with difficult personalities, get what you want from others—and spot a liar.

In this guide, we’ll outline King’s advice on what to look for when reading other people, taking into consideration factors like situational context, your own biases, and the different drives and patterns of thinking that nonverbal communication often reflects. Along the way, we’ll examine advice from other experts on how to read people, as well as additional theories explaining these techniques.

In this guide for women (men can learn something too), journalists and authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman examine the art and science of confidence—what it is, why it matters, why women have more trouble accessing it than men, and how this shortage affects professional success, personal achievement, and even happiness. Biology plays a role, and so do systemic inequalities, but confidence is also largely a choice. Learn how to make it in The Confidence Code.

Our brains are uniquely complex information processors, yet most people know little about how they work. In Brain Rules, John Medina writes that when we understand how our brains have evolved, we can use their natural impulses and tendencies to our advantage, improving our thinking and learning in all aspects of our lives.

John Medina is a molecular biologist who focuses on psychiatric disorders. Medina wrote this book in order to help the general public understand in a simple, accessible way how brains work and how the functions of the brain affect how we interact with the world. In this guide, we discuss the 12 rules he’s identified that summarize the brain’s core functions, abilities, and limitations. We also offer ways to apply Medina’s principles in your daily life and discuss scientific and cultural ideas related to his brain rules.

Love and desire aren’t driven by the same things. In fact, sometimes their ingredients are polar opposites. The ingredients for a loving, stable relationship are commitment, intimacy, and egalitarianism, while the ingredients for desire are mystery, distance, risk, and playfulness. Throw in some external pressures such as cultural messages and parenthood, and it might seem impossible to have a good erotic life within a long-term relationship.

Mating in Captivity looks at what makes up our individual sense of desire and our desire for our partners. Although desire and love may have some fundamental contradictions, there are ways to balance the clashes, and ways to manage extra-relationship stresses.

In The Language Instinct, experimental psychologist Steven Pinker argues that language is an innate, biological ability in humans—not just an element of human culture that gets passed from person to person. Pinker contends that just like the chameleon’s ability to camouflage itself or the falcon’s high-speed flight, the ability to produce and interpret complex language is an evolved human superpower.

Pinker aims to inspire readers to appreciate the unique qualities of human language. He also advocates for a functional, rather than a purist, approach to language and grammar, arguing that if a new slang term or speech pattern helps people communicate nuanced ideas, then it enhances language rather than diminishes it.

In the guide, we’ll explore many facets of human language: how our brains process speech, why children can rapidly master new languages, and why we shouldn’t be afraid to toss out arbitrary grammar conventions. Throughout the guide, we’ll also provide updates on research that explains the inner workings of language and discuss counterarguments by Pinker’s critics.

Wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to take one look at someone and know instantly what they’re thinking, what they want, and what sort of person they are? In Read People Like a Book, social interactions specialist Patrick King argues that you can come close to doing that by learning how to interpret peoples’ speech, behavior, and body language, and by using psychological principles to glean insights into their motivations and personalities. This ability allows you to more effectively navigate relationships, deal with difficult personalities, get what you want from others—and spot a liar.

In this guide, we’ll outline King’s advice on what to look for when reading other people, taking into consideration factors like situational context, your own biases, and the different drives and patterns of thinking that nonverbal communication often reflects. Along the way, we’ll examine advice from other experts on how to read people, as well as additional theories explaining these techniques.

Do you want to understand books better, and remember more of what you read? Do you want to better understand the author’s goal and be a better critic of what you read?

How to Read a Book is the classic guide to reading effectively. It teaches how to understand the crux of a book within 15 minutes, how to analyze a book intelligently, and how to synthesize multiple books together. If you read a lot of books, then it makes sense to learn how to read better and increase the value of your reading.