It has been proven: you can really experience a physical reaction to someone else’s language mistakes

We are all familiar with that one family member or friend who consistently says “themselves” or “better than.” But did you know that some people actually react physically to such language errors? Language purists, grammar judges, or language virtuosos – whatever you want to call them – might have a point. Researchers at the University of Birmingham have fitted volunteers with heart monitors. And sure enough, they discovered that their heart rates actually increased when they noticed linguistic errors.

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