How Language Shapes the Way We Think | Lera Boroditsky @TED #ted #tedtalks

Lera Boroditsky is trying to figure out how humans get so smart. Watch her full TED Talk:

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2 years ago

March 20, 2024

CYBER TECH TV

Lera Boroditsky is trying to figure out how humans get so smart. Watch her full TED Talk:

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23 Comments

@chethakmp3

March 20, 2024 at 12:03 pm

Wow. This is very interesting. You look beautiful too

Reply
- @hyperpony4865
  
  March 20, 2024 at 1:29 pm
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply
@islandmaster5064

March 20, 2024 at 12:04 pm

Intent may be the same, but the words used to convey that intent changes with each language

Reply
@stoppanigiovannino

March 20, 2024 at 12:12 pm

Very beautiful

Reply
@firecrotch9190

March 20, 2024 at 12:22 pm

The stock photo of the vase guy made me chuckle

Reply
@TenKaptur

March 20, 2024 at 12:27 pm

OH MY GOD NOT AGAIN

Reply
@lowersaxonygirl

March 20, 2024 at 12:42 pm

Depends on the bridge. If it’s a detailed one with a lot of ornamentation, it’s beautiful and elegant. If it’s a long and big bridge, I’d say it’s strong and long or sturdy.. Just because the word is feminine in German, I won’t use generalised descriptions.. I say it how it is. There are a lot of ornamental bridges in Europe, so I’d typically say they’re beautiful. Don’t know if it’s because of the adjective.

Reply
- @hyperpony4865
  
  March 20, 2024 at 1:29 pm
  
  Probably the same image of a bridge was shown, as bridges in Spain and Germany might differ considerably
  
  Reply
@scottw7141

March 20, 2024 at 12:48 pm

This is why I love the Latin Mass. Latin language is clear and has not changed in centuries.

Reply
@grapeshott

March 20, 2024 at 12:54 pm

It could be opposite though. Thoughts have shaped the language

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- @hyperpony4865
  
  March 20, 2024 at 1:44 pm
  
  Your comment is about the origin of language and I would say it’s too vague to be wrong lol.
  What she is referring to is the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, the generally true principle that various languages influence their speaker’s perception of the world and cognition in different ways.
  Now I want to give myself a 4/10 because although also my explanation feels too vague to be wrong, I know that it could very well be
  
  Reply
- @grapeshott
  
  March 20, 2024 at 3:15 pm
  
  @@hyperpony4865 I don’t think most linguists today agree with Sapir Whorf hypothesis. Even George Orwell wrote something similar to this in 1984. But they were being disproved in real world.
  
  Reply
- @Jacco0
  
  March 21, 2024 at 6:28 pm
  
  Culture shapes language, language shapes culture. You think in language and is therefore constrained and influenced by it, and also inherently by it’s culture. There is no way around it. As someone that speaks multiple languages I’m truly fascinated by how differently I think in different languages, and there is even a noticeable difference in the way I think and feel between British and American Enflish. I just came back from backpacking through SEA and now I’m touched by Australian English (I picked up the accent, slang and intonation) and yet again it influenced me.
  
  Reply
@Akirilus

March 20, 2024 at 1:49 pm

Describe a bridge….
My brain: Pewdiepie

Reply
@monicaramer8893

March 20, 2024 at 2:10 pm

Couldn’t agree more. As a native Brazilian, Portuguese being my first language, as an adult, as for my trained profession as a Spanish/English Court Interpreter, I know first hand, the importance of words.

Reply
- @GabrielMarques001
  
  March 21, 2024 at 11:33 am
  
  In portuguese you would say ‘a ponte é forte’, ‘eu quebrei meu braço’ e ‘ele quebrou o vaso’ quite naturally. Sure language can guide the reasoning process, but the examples used seem weak
  
  Reply
@Life_42

March 20, 2024 at 3:40 pm

That’s why I stick to mathematics; the best language!

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@SolidMikeP

March 20, 2024 at 8:36 pm

Brain’s and beauty

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@MountainsoftheHeart

March 20, 2024 at 9:35 pm

This is awesome!

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@Rnue

March 20, 2024 at 11:16 pm

I didn’t know Lorde was into languages.

Reply
@Kdramabingy

March 21, 2024 at 4:43 am

Thanks for pointing out that.????

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@ayaa_hany

March 21, 2024 at 1:28 pm

فلسطين حرة

Reply
@sandradamen-fw4zy

March 21, 2024 at 2:37 pm

I love this!

Reply

Science & Technology

Investors Are Asking AI About Your Startup

What does ChatGPT say about your startup? Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies. Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Published

1 day ago

September 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

What does ChatGPT say about your startup?

Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies.

Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Science & Technology

A PhD in Pitching Breaks Down a Startup Battlefield Pitch l Build Mode

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of…

Published

1 day ago

September 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message.

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitching before starting Autopoiesis Sciences. And he’s joined by Demetri Maxim, co-founder and CEO of Nephrogen, who came in second at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025.

Together, they break down Demetri’s actual Startup Battlefield pitch to unpack what worked, what could be improved, and what research tells us about how investors respond to founders. Eike explains why credibility signals matter, how technical founders can simplify without oversimplifying, and why Q&A should be treated as a second pitch. Demetri shares how he learned to explain complex biotech to generalist investors, how redesigning his deck changed his confidence onstage, and what he would do differently today.
They also explore how body language and authenticity affect a pitch, how investor questions can reveal bias, and how founders can use AI to prepare for difficult Q&A.

Here are the studies mentioned in the episode:
Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.” Academy of Management Journal
Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., König, A., Demann, F., & Diessner, M. (2025). “Shades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs’ Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). “Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.” Academy of Management Journal
Jiang, L., Yin, D., & Liu, D. (2019). “Can Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur’s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.” Academy of Management Journal.
Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., & Kotha, S. (2009). “Entrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists’ Funding Decisions.” Academy of Management Journal
Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., & Bauman, C. W. (2024). “Linking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., & Short, J. C. (2017). “Persuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Clark, C. (2008). “The Impact of Entrepreneurs’ Oral ‘Pitch’ Presentation Skills on Business Angels’ Initial Screening Investment Decisions.” Venture Capital

Subscribe to Build Mode:
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New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.

Bloomberg Technology

Uber, Wayve Unleash Supervised Robotaxis in London

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat. Olivia Solon explains why. ——– Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube: Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here: Get the…

Published

1 day ago

September 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat.

Olivia Solon explains why.
——–
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