Are problematic words like master bedroom and pipeline really harmful? Study finds woke replacements arent better for well-being

This may leave the language police speechless.Over the last decade, a growing movement has sought to scrub words considered harmful or offensive from the lexicon, replacing them with alternatives proponents say are less psychologically distressing to hear and read. But new research suggests there’s little evidence that the swap actually improves well-being — and in some cases, people prefer the originals.In the study, scientists from MacEwan University in Canada and Stetson University in Florida recruited 616 US adults and asked them to rate 175 pairs of words and phrases.Each pair included a term flagged as “harmful” by language guides from academic and professional groups, including Stanford and the American Psychological Association, along with a suggested alternative.Most were everyday words and phrases that the guides considered potentially offensive because of their history or associations, rather than outright insults or slurs — though a few of those made the list, too.For example, some guides recommend swapping “master bedroom” for “primary bedroom” because of the former’s alleged ties to slavery.Others suggest replacing “pipeline” with “pathway” over concerns about the term’s association with companies transporting crude oil through tribal lands and polluting local water supplies.There were also some everyday expressions you might not think twice about.

Some guides flag “blind review” in favor of “anonymous review,” arguing that the former could be viewed as ableist toward visually impaired people.“Unenlightened,” meanwhile, was offered as an alternative to “tone-deaf,” because the term uses a physical disability as a metaphor for a lack of knowledge or awareness.In the study, the participants read each of the “harmful” terms in a sentence and rated how familiar and acceptable it was, as well as how much anxiety it caused them.Scientists found that most of the supposedly offensive words were rated as high...