image

On the television show Bones, Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is so direct and concise, she often accidentally offends those around her. Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley), in contrast, uses more indirect language and questions so that people must infer his actual meaning. How do these differences compare to common stereotypes about the ways in which men and women communicate?

Richard Foreman/© FOX/Courtesy Everett Collection