This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta.

There was a time when most detective stories feature the brilliant insights of a genius.

Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple noticed clue brilliant insights of a genius.

Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple noticed clues the rest of us didn't

and solved mysteries using little more than their eyes and their intuition.

In the story, The Adventure of the Blue Carbunkel, Sherlock Holmes

inspects a hat that was found next to a stolen gem. He tells his friend John

Watson that the hat's owner is a smart, formerly wealthy man who recently turned evil.

He is middle-aged, out of shape, recently cut his hair, and his wife no longer loves him.

All of this from simply looking at the hat. In the real world, crime solving today relies less on sharp eyes and intuitive leaps and more on the science of forensics.

Suspects leave fingerprints at scenes of crime and tiny strands of DNA can identify one person out of billions.

In recent years, psychologists have gotten into the game.

They have discovered another set of clues that can give us a window into our suspect's mind. The source of this hidden information?

Language. The words we use in both speech and writing reveal a lot about us. They can give

us insight into a potential criminal, yes, but also whether someone is

depressed, when a person is lying, even how long a lover will

remain in a romantic relationship.

What your pronouns and prepositions really say about you. This week on Hidden Brain. And The Have you ever gotten a confusing message from a friend or family member?

Maybe a text or email. You read it and realize, I have no idea what this person is actually feeling.

If only there was a way to decipher what she really means.

In recent years, scientists have tried to do exactly that.

They find that if we pay close attention to the patterns in speech and writing, we can understand

...