Fascinating — and not surprising.

I’d love to hear SK’s thoughts on this.

I'm dealing with that now in my consulting gig. I have known for 30+ years that folks from different cultures think differently than Americans and communicate differently. Many see things more holistically where we tend to see things and think linearly. It can create barriers to effective communication.

Unfortunately, the situation I was asked to assess has become so toxic and sometimes abusive that it is IMO unsalvageable.

I’d like to hear more about this if you’re free to share it.

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I’d love to hear SK’s thoughts on this.

I don't have a background in neurolinguistics, so I don't have much special insight. But this does fit with everything I've read and makes a lot of sense. In particular if you think about what is known about language development and the brain from cases of child abuse (e.g., "Genie" IIRC), where withholding language input and other kinds of social interaction leads to (negative, catastrophic) physical changes in the brain. So it makes perfect sense that how language is used impacts the way the brain develops physically (in non-negative, non-catastrophic ways).

Some of you might remember reports about the brain differences observed in professional classical musicians or London cabbies for example. I think the brain as muscle example is pretty crude, but it's clear that the way a brain is used leads to the brain developing, physically, in certain ways as a result.

And language is the ultimate brain-use AFAIAC, along with math and music.

I'm glad this kind of research is moving forward. For awhile it was almost taboo to talk about these kinds of things because people were afraid of being accused of supporting linguistic determinism (the idea that language determines how you think and this impact cannot be escaped from). Unfortunately, nuance is often lost and it meant that people were also afraid to talk about linguistic relativity (the idea that language is not deterministic but has a big impact on thinking, and that language and thinking impact each other and although the influences are real, they are not inescapable).

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It can create barriers to effective communication.

This of course is a whole 'nother issue...

The impact of culture and language (on expectations, opinions, unconscious reactions etc) is often very hard to recognize because it's so ingrained. What we think is "natural" and/or "biological" might actually be cultural and/or learned, but it can be very hard to accept that because it's all we've ever known.

It's the nature vs. nurture debate, and if it can be recognized that it's nurture and not nature, things are often easier, but only just!