Literal vs. Emotional Communication

I know people who are highly educated and use their brains on levels of analytical depth that are alien to me. On a daily basis they use vocabulary no ordinary person of daily grind has to face. The thing is, they also seem somewhat detached on a personal level of communication. Everything is questioned, referred or quoted, carrying with it an intellectual depth. To me, something feels missing when I listen to them.

It makes me wonder: Does using and knowing a great many words lead to a reduced level of empathy, to detached interpersonal communication? Going even further, will inherently “too sophisticated” and “out of their league” vocabulary simply create an emotional distance between the speaker and the audience? As your lexicon expands, do you become a sort of “textbook alien” who can no longer connect with people anymore?

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