Episode 013
When Anxiety Takes Away Your Words:
The Science of Language & Communication
Hosted by Jeremy de Tolly, featuring Ryan Nefdt
About this Episode
What happens to our ability to communicate when we feel anxious or unsafe? Why can someone who is normally articulate suddenly struggle to find their words under pressure?
In this fascinating conversation, Jeremy de Tolly sits down with philosopher and linguist Ryan Nefdt, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town and the University of Bristol and a member of the UCT Neuroscience Institute.
Jeremy and Ryan explore what language actually is, whether it shapes the way we experience reality, how language is organised in the brain, bilingualism and code-switching, and why humans may have developed language in the first place.
The conversation then turns to anxiety and communication. Why do we sometimes lose access to our words, creativity and spontaneity when we feel threatened? Ryan offers a cognitive science perspective on what may be happening when anxiety changes the priorities of the brain.
They also explore how the internet and AI are changing language, and what increasingly sophisticated AI-generated language might mean for human communication.
Perhaps what makes human communication valuable is not perfection, but the fact that our words reveal a real person behind them. Our humour, emotion, spontaneity and even our mistakes can create a connection that goes beyond simply communicating information.
You will learn:
● Does language shape the way we experience reality?
● Why do we sometimes lose our words when we become anxious?
● What happens to creativity and spontaneity under pressure?
● What can bilingualism and code-switching tell us about language?
● Why might humans have developed language?
● How is the internet changing the way we communicate?
● How might AI change human language?
● What makes human communication different from AI-generated language?
● Could our imperfections be part of what makes our communication uniquely human?
Listen or watch this episode on your favourite platform!
Resources & next steps
If you’d like to explore this work further:
Free Resources and Guides
Practical, expert-created tools to help you reclaim your voice, reduce anxiety, and elevate your presence.
EFT for Speaking Anxiety PDF
A practical, body-based approach to calming the nervous system and speaking with more ease.
Private coaching with Jeremy
Personalised support to help you move through vocal anxiety and speak with clarity and confidence.
Support this work:
The Radiant Foundation
Providing free trauma tools and support to underprivileged communities in South Africa
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