Practice of verbal awareness, or how language shapes thinking. According to the Sapir–Whorf theory of linguistic relativity, the structure and vocabulary of a language can influence how we categorize and perceive the world, especially in the domain of embodiment, where linguistic concepts are tied to bodily and sensory experience. Many effects have been studied: having distinct words for colors improves color discrimination; ways of describing space influence navigation strategies; and in children, the development of an emotion vocabulary is associated with better emotion recognition. When children learn words for emotions, they classify facial expressions more accurately. A lack of words can slow down or limit perception and understanding (!!!) So, the key practical rules are: 1. Use a rich and differentiated vocabulary, not just a couple of words. 2. Think in continua and multisensory terms, rather than black-and-white judgments. 3. Focus on objective characteris...
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