Language shapes our world. But when we speak, there is actually a secret conversation happening beyond our words. It’s happening not with our mouths—but with our hands.


Prof. Susan Goldin-Meadow is a distinguished scholar of psychology at the University of Chicago. Her research into deaf children who were never taught sign language led her to studying why the gestures we do all day may contain more information about our minds than we realize. Now she’s included all her insights in a new book, “Thinking With Your Hands—The Surprising Science Behind How Gestures Shape Our Thoughts.”

Chapters:
00:02 Introduction to the University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative
00:37 The Power of Language and Gestures
01:34 The Role of Gestures in Communication
02:06 The Science Behind Gestures
03:12 The Importance of Gestures in Society
03:38 Big Brains Podcast Introduction
04:17 Understanding Gestures in Depth
05:32 The Origin of Language and Gestures
07:26 The Innate Need to Gesture
09:14 The Role of Gestures in Learning
14:41 The Impact of Gestures in Courtrooms
17:17 The Role of Gestures in Education
24:19 The Impact of Gestures in a Post-Pandemic World
25:41 Conclusion: The Unnoticed Power of Gestures
26:14 Outro: Big Brains Podcast