Recent Videos of Possible Interest

By James W. Pennebaker

• The Secret Life of Pronouns: An Interview with the Author

A discussion my recent book on language and psychology, The Secret Life of Pronouns: How Our Words Reflect Who We Are (New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2011).*

• The Language of Truth and Lies: I-words

Is a linguistic lie detector possible? The use of first person singular pronouns (I, me, my) can be powerful predictors of telling the truth.*

• The Language of Truth and Lies: Performatives

Sometimes, I-words reveal lying in unexpected ways. The use of a linguistic device called a "performative" can signal when a person is about to be deceptive.*

• Coping with breast cancer

Ruth and Jamie Pennebaker talk about their different personal and professional perspectives about Ruth’s diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in 1995. This was recorded from the Breast Cancer Resource Center’s annual fundraiser.

• Ask a Psychologist: How Words Reflect Personality and Individual Differences

Pronouns, articles, and other function words can tell us about people's personalities. Men and woman use words differently in ways that tells us how they think and interact with their worlds.**

• Ask a Psychologist: Language and group dynamics

When people are in a group, the ways they use function words can tell us what their roles are. Leaders use pronouns differently from followers. Groups that get along well have a linguistic fingerprint that is very different from a group that doesn't work well together.**

• Ask a Psychologist: Lying and Telling the Truth

Pennebaker describes how certain classes of words can be used to detect truth and deception.**

• Ask a Psychologist: Tracking Love and Relationships Through Word Use

When two or more people are talking with or writing to each other, it is possible to determine how well they are clicking with each other using text analysis methods. We can predict if a couple will go out on a date before they do and who will still be dating several later by looking at the ways they use words with each other.**

• Expressive Writing and Emotional Well-Being

Part of the UT-Austin psychology series, Pennebaker discusses how writing about emotional upheavals can boost mental and physical health.**

*Filmed and produced by Brian Schwarz, brianschwarz@mac.com

**Filmed and produced by the University of Texas Liberal Arts Public Affairs Office, mbryant@austin.utexas.edu