Researchers at the University of Vermont have discovered a surprising pattern in human language that challenges a scientific theory widely accepted for more than 70 years. Their findings suggest that the meaning of words is shaped by something more fundamental than emotion: our understanding of power, danger, and order.

The study, published in Science Advances , introduces a new approach called "ousiometrics," which uses mathematical methods to measure the essential meaning of language. Its most striking finding is that the words people use show a consistent and widespread preference for safety over danger.

This hidden safety bias could transform how researchers study language, understand human behavior, and develop artificial intelligence systems that interpret what people say and write.

Scientists Discover a Hidden Safety Bias in Human Language

Since the 1950s, much of the scientific understanding of word meaning has relied on a framework developed through pioneering research by psychologist Charles…