Do We Think in Words?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 June 2017
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We're always up for a challenge on CrowdScience but this week’s question, which comes from an artist, tests our limits as we investigate the nature of thought itself – something that has puzzled scientists and philosophers since ancient times. Undeterred, presenter Nastaran Tavakoli-Far heads off to the Spanish island of Ibiza to visit listener Romanie in her painting studio and attempt to peer into the workings of her mind. As we explore the relationship between thought and language, why not join in with our experiments to discover if you’re thinking visually or verbally? We find out how language can affect thinking in surprising ways – why German speakers might see a bridge differently from Spanish speakers, how being bilingual can make you a better driver and even why some languages give their speakers a remarkable sense of direction.
Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Producer: Cathy Edwards
(Image: The Thinker a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. You're going to see. What went through your mind just now? Maybe you imagined some birds, a motor bike and a beach? |
| 0:58.0 | Perhaps you said to yourself, what on earth is this program or maybe you thought about something |
| 1:05.2 | altogether more abstract and thinking is what this program is all about. |
| 1:13.0 | I'm Nasrant-Havakalei Far, and this is Crowd Science on the BBC World Service, |
| 1:19.0 | the show where you ask the questions and we hunt for the answers. |
| 1:22.0 | So for this week's episode we've come to |
| 1:24.8 | the beautiful island of Ibifah. It's in the Mediterranean and it's off the coast of |
| 1:29.1 | Spain. I'm sitting here near the sea right now and we've come all this way because we really |
| 1:33.8 | really wanted to meet the listener who's asked this week's question. |
| 1:37.2 | I'm with her now, her name is Romani. |
| 1:39.4 | Hi Romani. |
| 1:40.0 | Hello. |
| 1:40.9 | What's your question that you want us to investigate? |
| 1:43.4 | My question is, how much of our thinking happens in words and how much of our thinking happens in |
| 1:48.7 | abstract concepts or images? That's a really mind-boggling question and really fascinating as well. |
| 1:55.4 | What made you think of that? |
... |
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