Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership --- You're doing it every day — talking, writing, texting, thinking in words. Turns out, this ordinary activity has a hidden side that most people have never considered, and it's doing a lot more for your brain than you realize. Maryellen MacDonald is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of *More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World*. In this conversation, Maryellen shares: - Why talking is cognitively harder than listening — and why that difficulty is actually the point - The "understanding equals learning" myth — and why just absorbing information is not the same as remembering it - How talking to yourself (out loud or internally) helps you focus, follow through on goals, and regulate difficult emotions - Why naming your emotions more precisely — not just "I'm upset" but "I'm angry and scared" — actually quiets activity in the brain's limbic system - How expressive writing (James Pennebaker's research) produces measurable improvements in physical health, mental health, and emotional calm - Why conversation — not brain games — is the most powerful tool for protecting against dementia - How to practice for high-stakes conversations before they happen - Why finishing other people's sentences is ruder than you think - The surveillance risk hiding in your social media posts and phone calls — and how companies and governments are already analyzing your speech patterns - Why we shouldn't judge people by how they talk — and the science behind it --- Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ --- Timestamps: 0:00:00 Introduction: the hidden benefits of talking 0:02:00 Why talking is harder than listening — and what that effort does for your brain 0:04:00 How babies use pre-talk to tune their brains and engage the world 0:06:00 Why finishing other people's sentences is a cognitive privilege — and why you should resist it 0:08:00 Self-talk and everyday tasks: how talking to yourself helps you follow through 0:13:00 To-do lists, grocery lists, and the act of writing as a form of talking 0:15:00 The STEM major study: how writing about your goals keeps you on track long-term 0:17:00 Articulating your values — how intention setting and self-talk connect 0:19:00 Journaling and expressive writing: the research on physical and mental health benefits 0:23:00 Why talking about something makes your thoughts about it more concrete and manageable 0:26:00 Emotional granularity: how naming emotions precisely quiets the brain's alarm system 0:28:00 What to do when people resist talking about their stuff 0:31:00 The understanding equals learning myth — why absorbing isn't the same as encoding 0:35:00 How hosting this podcast has pounded Buddhism into Dan's neurons 0:37:00 Talking and dementia prevention: why conversation beats brain games 0:40:00 Dan's 82-year-old mother: the mayor of her assisted living facility 0:43:00 Rehearsing difficult conversations — the science of practice talking 0:45:00 Kids, screens, and the importance of getting children talking (not just listening) 0:49:00 Why we shouldn't judge people by how they talk 0:51:00 Keeping up with evolving language — the self-interested case for going with the flow 0:55:00 How companies and governments are analyzing your speech patterns — and what that means for privacy 1:00:00 Why educated, tech-savvy people are also susceptible to fake news --- #psychology #mentalhealth #neuroscience --- This episode is sponsored by: **Henson Shaving** — Aerospace-precision razors with 100 free blades included. Visit https://www.hensonshaving.com/happier or use code HAPPIER at checkout **Northwest Registered Agent** — LLC formation, registered agent service, and free business resources at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/Happierfree **Spark** — Clean energy and focus with zero sugar. Get 30% off and free shipping with code HAPPIER at https://www.drinkspark.com