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April 24, 2015 Are Conversational Filler Phrases a Mark of Conscientiousness? Use of the conversational phrases "I mean," "you know," and "like" appears to be more common among people who are conscientious, perhaps because those who are conscientious are more likely to want to share or rephrase their opinions for greater clarity, according to an analysis of the speech of 263 people over several days. But these "discourse markers" are the language of the young: Their use drops by more than half between late college and early adulthood, says a team led by Charlyn M. Laserna of the University of Texas at Austin. SOURCE: Um…Who Like Says You Know: Filler Word Use as a Function of Age, Gender, and Personality

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