A fascinating finding:
To judge a risk more clearly, it may help to consider it in a foreign language. A series of experiments on more than 300 people from the U.S. and Korea found that thinking in a second language reduced deep-seated, misleading biases that unduly influence how risks and benefits are perceived.
The big picture:
In the researchers’ view, our rational mind seems to take charge when we’re using a less-familiar language. "Even when people fully comprehend the meaning of taboo words, reprimands, expressions of love, and advertising slogans, they react to them less emotionally in a foreign language," they note. "This reduction in emotional response might … allow people to rely more on analytic processes when they make decisions."
The Dish 