Every kid should be taught this inoculation technique. It’ll lead to a less gullible electorate.

Researchers have found that the highest rises in cortisol levels — the most extreme fight or flight response — are prompted by "threats to one's social self, or threat to one's social acceptance, esteem, and status." Just think about the difference between hearing a compliment and a criticism. Which are you more inclined to believe? What do you dwell on longer? The researcher John Gottman has found that among married couples, it takes at least five positive comments to offset one negative one.

Even the brightest college students toss in “like” liberally, like a heart patient over-salting his fries. It’s unhealthy. It impacts language wellness. But we shouldn’t banish the place-filling “like” altogether. In fact, let’s call it the Rhetorical Like. Used judiciously, the Rhetorical Like serves many subtle purposes.

James Tate, a senior at Shelton High School in Connecticut, worked through the night posting 12-inch letters on his school building to grandly ask his friend to prom. She said yes. But his school said no, suspending him for bad behavior.