Talking Points 12-14-15

You can tell your mom that your habit of swearing like a sailor actually means you’re smart.

A recent study in the journal Language Sciences revealed that people who use lewd language tend to have larger lexicons (on top of being more emotionally resilient).

All of the headlines are celebrating Saudi Arabia’s election of 20 women to local government — but it’s premature to laud it as major progress.

This election was the first in the conservative Islamic country’s history in which women could vote or run for office. It’s a milestone, but it may not do anything to change the status of women, who are denied many basic rights, including being able to drive to the polls or travel without permission from a man.

The myth that suicides spike around the holidays is false — they actually drop.

While the Winter Blues is a real thing, and some people do get depressed around the holidays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that November and December are actually the months with the fewest suicides.

“Genetically modified” food tends to freak people out, but there’s a new gene editing process that eliminates one of the major concerns: Mutant genes.

Researchers from the United Kingdom recently figured out a process so precise that no harmful genes could enter into the mix. The method would allow scientists to create strains like drought-resistant plants, which would have major implications forfood security across the world.

It’s been three years since the Sandy Hook mass shooting propelled the discourse around gun control to a new level — but it has worked in the favor of gun rights advocates.

Dozens of states including Kansas, Texas and Arkansas have actually made it easier to buy guns. Concealed carry permits for handguns soared from 4.7 million in 2007 to 12.8 million in 2014, and this year’s Black Friday saw a record number of background checks (meaning a ton of gun purchases).