A team of researchers looking for ubiquitous human concepts in a dozen languages as diverse as the Afro-Asiatic tongue Afar and the Australian language Wik-mungkan discovered that ideas of morality — reflected in words that translate as “good,” “bad,” “disobedient,” and “ashamed” — occur in all 12.
Also common are concepts of competence, or lack thereof: “strong,” “weak,” “useless,” and “stupid,” says the team, led by Gerard Saucier of the University of Oregon. The ubiquity of the concept of shame may indicate that a central part of the human experience is the response to behavioral constraints imposed by social groups, the researchers suggest.
Read more in today's HBR.
Why Women Aren’t C.E.O.s, According to Women Who Almost Were
"It’s not a pipeline problem. It’s about loneliness, competition and deeply rooted barriers." Read more in the NYT .
-
Even women who earn overwhelmingly positive performance reviews are told that they have ‘personality flaws,’ a new study finds. The double...
-
Many talented rural students don't go to elite schools, because they are unaware of the options. Read more in the NYT . Thanks, +Ju...
