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Embarrassment guides language choice.

Becky K Y Lau1, Veronica Vazquez-Olivieri2, Claire Guang2

  • 1University of Chicago, Department of Psychology, United States; University of Chicago Booth School of Business, United States.

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|November 13, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bilinguals often choose a foreign language to discuss embarrassing topics, reducing emotional distress. This language choice serves as an effective emotional regulation strategy for bilingual individuals.

Keywords:
BilingualCommunicationEmbarrassmentEmotionsLanguageTaboos

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Area of Science:

  • Psycholinguistics
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Sociolinguistics

Background:

  • Bilingualism involves navigating language choices in daily communication.
  • Understanding the psychological underpinnings of language selection in bilinguals is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether bilinguals utilize language choice as a tool for emotional regulation.
  • To examine the role of anticipated emotional impact in guiding language preference.

Main Methods:

  • Four experiments were conducted with 1083 bilingual participants across multiple languages (Chinese, English, Spanish).
  • Participants' language preferences for discussing sensitive topics were assessed.
  • The influence of native-ness versus cultural association on language choice was analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Bilinguals preferred using a foreign language over their native language for discussing embarrassing topics.
  • This preference was linked to expectations of reduced emotional and interpersonal consequences.
  • The effect persisted regardless of the cultural association of the languages, highlighting the role of 'native-ness'.

Conclusions:

  • Language choice can serve as an emotional regulation mechanism for bilinguals.
  • Using a foreign language creates emotional distance, mitigating the impact of discussing aversive subjects.
  • Bilinguals strategically employ foreign language use to manage emotional experiences.