Middle-class British people are talking more alike than ever

We all imitate one another in conversation. We use similar gestures, our accents converge, our tones of voice align, and we mirror each other’s facial expressions.

But, as my team’s recent study showed, subtle differences in the way we mirror each other can reveal a lot about our identities and even divides between classes.

Specifically, our research found British people from the corporate world, higher education, and neighbouring fields adopt...