Words hold power. They can motivate, discourage or sway the opinions of others. We experience this ability when we hear a powerful speech, listen to a moving sermon or feel the sting of words in the heat of an argument. Everyone is impacted by words, good or bad, and the way you communicate matters.
In a recent study published in the scientific journal Cognition, researchers have set out to investigate how a speaker’s word choice and delivery affect the decisions of the listener.
The researchers recruited 60 Japanese undergraduate students for the experiment. Each student was given the same scenario: a friend was experiencing serious migraines and needed treatment. The students indicated how effective they perceived the treatment would be based on the words of the physician.
However, the physician’s presentation of the treatment differed among the students. One group of students was told about the treatment using phrases with positive connotations, while another was given negative connotative phrases. A third group acted as the experiment’s baseline and was given the treatment plan only through numerical data.
The results were filtered through a newly developed, quantitative decision by belief sample model. This model is a mathematical equation that statistically shows the correlation between the phrases, their connotations and how effective the students perceived the treatment to be.
The results showed that students who were presented with the treatment in a positive way rated the treatment more likely to be effective, while those who received a more negative presentation of the treatment rated it less likely to be effective, showing that it is not only what you say but how you say it that matters.
Think before you speak, but not only about your words. The delivery matters too and is a larger part of communication than we realize. This study supports this notion and has even shown us how applicable it is to our everyday lives. Further investigations need to be done to fully understand why words are so impactful, but the present study has set a solid foundation for other research.
