TED Talk Tuesday (supplemental): What’s blue and doesn’t weigh very much?

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team play their part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

This TED Talk was discovered by Colin, who couldn’t resist sharing it – even though it’s not Tuesday – because he is such a word nerd.

I came across this TED Talk via the latest TED newsletter and felt I had to share it. Language is a subject that fascinates me, and the title of this talk snatched my attention immediately: “How language shapes the way we think”. It’s a 14-minute listen – 9:20 if you set your speed at 1.5x – and worth every second.

In the talk, cognitive scientist Lena Boroditsky discusses how the language we speak influences the way we think. It also influences the jokes we tell. So, the answer to the question in the headline of this article, “What’s blue and doesn’t weigh very much”, is “Light blue”. This joke wouldn’t work in Russian. Watch the talk to see why…