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Does speaking a particular language make you feel certain emotions? The hosts talk about a blog post by evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson musing about whether this might be true. This is part of a complete episode.
shitasmia n.— «It’s so terrible, it induces an entirely new emotion: a blend of vertigo, disgust, anger and embarrassment which I like to call “shitasmia.” It not only creates this emotion: it defines it. It’s the most...
Is there a distinction to be made between envy and jealousy? The hosts try to parse out the difference. This is part of a complete episode.
A caller named Holly confesses that there’s a word that practically makes her break out in hives every time she hears it. Grant assures her she’s not alone in her aversion to the word—Holly, cover your eyes—moist. Grant and Martha...
thrival n.—Gloss: doing well in a place, at an occupation, or at an undertaking; the act of thriving. «Adulthood is about “thrival,” not so much survival, as we are no longer vulnerable to adults as we were when we were minor children...
suspense adj.— «Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Army’s term for a deadline is a “suspense,” sometimes abbreviated simply “S:” and followed by a date. The first time I was told that I had to “meet a suspense,” I didn’t know where to...