BEN'S
INTERVIEW WITH JAMIE PENNEBAKER, Ph.D.
On August 26, 2011, we had a wonderful interview with psychologist
Jamie Pennebaker, Ph.D., whose forthcoming book The
Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us details
how the smallest, most commonly used, most forgettable words serve as
windows into our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Book Launching--publication date August 30, 2011.
TO RECEIVE THE INTERVIEW RECORDING AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS,
fill out the form below.
You'll also receive a complimentary subscription to
Ben's monthly email newsletter, The Coaching Toward Happiness News.
And please know your email address is safe with us.
We will not share or sell your email address or personal information
to any person, organization, or third party.
ABOUT JAMIE PENNEBAKER, Ph.D.
Jamie Pennebaker, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized
social psychologist who's endlessly curious about human nature. His
latest book is The Secret Life of Pronouns.
In his earlier work, Jamie learned that keeping secrets
can make people sick. This work led to his discovery that people could
improve their physical and mental health by writing about their deepest
secrets, which is now widely known as expressive writing.
Jamie's popular book Opening Up: The Healing Power
of Expressing Emotion and Writing to Heal focuses on the therapeutic
value of expressive writing.
Most recently, he's become intrigued by how people reveal
themselves in their everyday spoken and written language.
Jamie Pennebaker is Regents Centennial Liberal Arts Professor
and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas
at Austin.
He's a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers
and a consultant to businesses, medical schools, and various federal
agencies that address corporate and national security issues. Jamie
is the author or editor of 10 books and almost 300 scientific articles.
He ranks among the most cited researchers in psychology, psychiatry,
and the social sciences.
Jamie grew up in Midland, Texas. He has been married
to the accomplished writer Ruth Pennebaker since 1972. His daughter
Teal works in communication and public policy in Washington, D.C. and
his son Nick is involved in oil and gas exploration in Austin, Texas.
ABOUT THE SECRET LIFE OF PRONOUNS
The
Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us, which
will be published August 30, traces the discovery of the links between
function words and social and psychological states. Written for a general
audience, the book takes the reader on a remarkable and often unexpected
journey into the minds of authors, poets, lyricists, politicians, and
everyday people through their use of words.
At the heart of this book is the idea that our words
leave indelible fingerprints of personality, our relationships and backgrounds,
and even our plans for the future. Once you see the power of pronouns,
articles, and other function words, you will better understand:
• How Tweets and Facebook posts can tell us about
the personality of their authors.
• Why lying to others and to ourselves causes us to talk differently.
• How it's possible to predict if two people will fall in love
by counting the function words the two people use in their first conversation
with one another.
• When we can predict a person's age, sex, where they live, and
what their background is by analyzing their conversations or emails.
• Why self-confident leaders rarely use the word "I"
and insecure and depressed people do.
• How writing about an emotional upheaval using particular linguistic
styles can help you get past it.
• Why analyzing your own emails, letters, and natural conversations
can tell you about yourself and the relationships you cherish most
|
READ THE BEGINNING TO
THE SECRET LIFE OF PRONOUNS: WHAT OUR WORDS SAY ABOUT US
CHAPTER 1
Discovering the Secret Life of the Most Forgettable Words
Good morning everyone! Have a fabulous day! Xoxo Paris :)
-Paris Hilton, media personality
went to the mountains above Beirut yesterday to meet with
Walid Jumblatt--the leader of the Druze--fascinating experience.
-John McCain, U.S. Senator
Hanging out with friends--"pom" martinis- getting
ready to watch xmas special. 10 eastern 9 central. Going caroling
afterward!
-Oprah Winfrey, media mogul and television host
time to drink a bottle of wine and sketch for the new tour.
st.louis was brilliant. there's eyeliner on my knee, and blood
on my elbow. shady
-Lady Gaga, singer and songwriter
Over 100,000 years ago, our ancestors began talking. About 5,000
years ago, humans started writing. In the last 150 years, we adopted
everything from the telegraph, radio, and television to e-mail,
text messages, blogs, and other social media. The ways we connect
with one another may have changed but we still are compelled to
communicate our ideas, experiences, and emotions to those around
us.
Beginning in 2006, we began to use Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter
account can broadcast brief updates, or "tweets," that
can be instantly read by almost anyone. On a minute-by-minute
basis, you can know what your friends or even world- famous celebrities
are thinking. Many readers may wonder why people would want to
do this. However, once you immerse yourself in the Twitter world,
you can begin to appreciate some of its appeal.
Look back at the four tweets that begin this chapter. MORE
>>
|
Resources
Pennebaker
home page
The Secret
Life of Pronouns
Chung, C. and Pennebaker, J. The
Psychological Function of Function Words
pennebaker_clip1v2.mp4
13-Jul-2011 16:03
pennebaker
c _clip2.mp4 11-Jul-2011 15:51
pennebaker_clip3.mp4
11-Jul-2011 16:03
pennebaker_clip4.mp4
11-Jul-2011 16:10
pennebaker_clip5v2.mp4
13-Jul-2011 16:15
pennebaker_clip5v3.mp4
18-Jul-2011 12:01
Selected
Pennebaker Reprints
Audio interview
Writing
to Ease Trauma
