The Secret Life of Pronouns What Our Words Say About Us

by Pennebaker, James W.

• ISBN13: 9781608194803
• ISBN10: 1608194809
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-08-30
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press

Summary

We spend our lives communicatingwe connect with family, communicate our needs, and increasingly, earn our livings by putting thoughts into words. In the past 150 years, we've zoomed from quill pens through radio to texts, blogs, and social media. We're generating more and more words every moment of every day. Hiding in that deluge of language are amazing facts about who we are and how we feel. InThe Secret Life of Pronouns, language psychologist James Pennebaker uses his groundbreaking research into word frequency and computational linguistics to show that the words we use carry secrets about our emotions, our identities, and our social intelligence. Using innovative techniques and insightful surveysincluding quizzes you can take yourselfPennebaker spins through pop culture, Craigslist ads, the Federalist Papers and more as examples of how word choice can reveal our emotions, identities, income level and more. You'll learn why it's bad when politicians use "we" instead of "I," what Yeats and Rosie O'Donnell have in common, how Ebenezer Scrooge's use of language hints at his self-deception and repressed emotions. Nixon's collapsing self-confidence, Rudy Giuliani and King Lear make cameo appearances as well in this breathtaking, brainy romp through language.

Author Biography

James W. Pennebaker is the chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Writing to Heal and Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions, which has been translated into a dozen languages. You can analyze your own language using his Web site, http://www.secretlifeofpronouns.com/

Table of Contents

American American-Statesman #1 Bestseller

 

"Penetrating …lively and accessible …Paying closer attention to function words [Pennebaker] advises, can help us understand the social relations that those words reflect. Unfortunately, we might not be able to pay proper attention until we’re all equipped with automatic word counters. Until that day, we have Pennebaker as an indefatigable guide to the little words that he boldly calls ‘keys to the soul.’"—New York Times Book Review

"Anyone who reads his book will become much more conscious about how he or she uses words when talking to friends, when talking to the public, or when writing for the public … Pennebaker’s new book is fascinating and fun."—Austin American-Statesman

"Provocative … eye-opening … The Secret Life of Pronouns is studded with muse-worthy examples of language’s hidden power."—Dallas Morning News

 

"Ingenious"—Slate

 

"[An] intriguing treatise…accessible, entertaining…Pennebaker's take on the unexpected importance of throw-away words isthe kind of fun pop linguistics readers devour."— Publishers Weekly

 

"An extraordinary look at ordinary words."—Booklist

 

“The author successfully demonstrates that seemingly innocuous function words—I, me, you, he, can, for, it, of, this—play a crucial role in understanding identity, detecting emotions and realizing intention; they also provide important clues about social and cultural cohesion … Convincing and compelling…Essential reading for psychotherapists and readers interested in the connection between language and human behavior, emotion and perception.”—Kirkus

 

"Is it possible for a psychologist to hear just a few words from you and immediately know what makes you tick?  Could this psychologist use cutting-edge science to detect your inner desires from subtle patterns in your use of language—beyond anything you were conscious of saying?  The answer to both questions is Yes.  James Pennebaker is this psychologist and you really ought to read his remarkable book."—Daniel Wegner, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, author of The Illusion of Conscious Will

 

"In this entertaining and sharply illuminating book, James Pennebaker shows that the words you use in everyday talk reveal surprising insights into personality, social relationships, status, leadership, sex, and human nature. I suspect that Pennebaker could decode the pronouns and the functions of words I write now to describe him in such a way as to reveal deep secrets about me! But I will write them anyway, and here they are: He is one of the smartest, funniest, and most creative psychologists you will ever meet."—Dan P. McAdams, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, author of George W. Bush and the Redemptive Dream: A Psychological Portrait