The Mystery of Accents and the Dangerous Habit of Rumination
7/16/202650 min
Have you ever pushed on a door that was supposed to be pulled—or pulled when you should have pushed? It feels embarrassing, but don't blame yourself. It turns out the problem usually isn't you. It's the door. https://uxdesign.cc/intro-to-ux-the-norman-door-61f8120b6086
Everyone has an accent—even if they don't think they do. The way you speak tells a story about where you've been, who influenced you, and sometimes even how other people perceive you before you've said more than a few words. Why do accents develop? Why are they so difficult to lose? And do people with accents realize they have one, or do they think everyone else sounds different? Erik Singer, one of Hollywood's leading dialect coaches, explains the fascinating science, history, and psychology behind the way we speak. He has analyzed accents from around the world for millions of viewers online (https://www.eriksinger.com/) and is author of the forthcoming book The Case of the Disappearing R.
We all replay conversations in our heads. We rethink decisions, relive embarrassing moments, and imagine what we should have said or done differently. It feels productive—as if we're solving a problem. But more often than not, we're simply trapped in a mental loop called rumination. Far from helping, rumination can fuel anxiety, depression, stress, and self-doubt while making it harder to move forward. Science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa explains why our brains get caught in these loops, why they're so difficult to break, and what actually works to quiet an overactive mind. She is author of Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist (https://amzn.to/4vKWiNs).
You've probably heard the advice that couples who want happier relationships should simply have sex more often. It sounds logical—but research suggests the relationship between sex and happiness may work very differently than most people assume. https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/may/more-sex-does-not-lead-to-happiness.html
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Carruthers· Host0:01
[upbeat music] Today on Something You Should Know, have you ever pushed on a door you were supposed to pull? I'll tell you why that so often happens. Then, some people have accents when they speak. Why do they have them?
Erik Singer· Guest0:16
Accents come originally from our parents or caregivers, but very quickly they cease to be the main influence. It's axiomatic in linguistics that we sound like our peers, people that we are spending time with and, like, identifying with and forming our sense of identity around.
Mike Carruthers· Host0:32
Also, does having more sex make couples happier, or do happy couples just have more sex? And rumination, overthinking something over and over again.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa· Guest0:43
You think you're gonna get the answer by ruminating, but your brain is terrible at it. And what it does instead is locks down on that ruminative thinking, and the answer never comes. Relief never comes.
Mike Carruthers· Host0:57
All this today on Something You Should Know. So Wayfair just became a sponsor here, so my wife and I, we've been spending way too much time on their website trying to decide what to get. Honestly, I had no idea they carried this much stuff: furniture, outdoor living, lighting, everything for the kitchen, storage, rugs. I mean, it just keeps going. At first, we were sure we were gonna get a couple of Adirondack chairs for the backyard, but then we started looking at patio furniture, 'cause ours has