When Harold Ross drew up the prospectus for this magazine in the nineteen-twenties, he wrote that The New Yorker “will be what is commonly called sophisticated.” But what on earth did that mean? Ben ...

THE difference in character between the present time and certain periods in the past is strikingly exemplified by the use nowadays of ‘sophistication’ instead of ‘urbanity’ in expressing the earmark ...

A key aspect of humans’ evolutionary success is the fact that we don’t have to learn how to do things from scratch. Our societies have developed various ways—from formal education to YouTube videos—to ...

Tension: In social and professional settings, individuals often seek to convey confidence and sophistication, yet may feel uncertain about how their nonverbal cues influence others’ perceptions. Noise ...