Share
142 second year university students from both Memorial University of Newfoundland (n = 81) and Laurentian University (n = 61) wrote their own signatures as they imagined the following people would do: (a) faculty member (high status) with high self-esteem, (b) faculty member (high status) with low self-esteem, (c) student (low status) with high self-esteem, and (d) student (low status) with low self-esteem. The areas of the signatures were calculated in square centimeters, and there was a significant positive relationship between size of signature and the conditions of high and low self-esteem for both “faculty” and “student” role-playing conditions. There was however no significant relationship between size of signature and status. The results held for both groups of subjects.
Source: “Effects of self-esteem and status on size of signature.” from Percept Mot Skills. 1977 Feb;44(1):185-6.
This is another great study I found in Robert Cialdini’s fantastic book, Influence.
I also recommend his more recent release Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.
Related posts:
Things you didn’t know about negotiation, persuasion and influence
What should you say to the police when you get pulled over for speeding?
7 of the most powerful persuasion techniques by expert Robert Cialdini (Video)
You should follow me on Twitter here. You can also subscribe to the blog’s feed or follow on Facebook. Here are the site’s most popular posts of all time.