What’s an easy way to feel more powerful?
wer your voice: Voice pitch may not only influence the listeners but also the speakers themselves. Based on the theories of embodied cognition and previous research on power, we tested whether lowering their pitch leads people to feel more powerful and think more abstractly. In three experiments, participants received instructions to read a text out loud with either a lower or a higher voice than usual. Subsequently, feelings of power (Experiments 1 and 2) and abstract thinking (Experiment 3) were…
1 min read
Do we pick leaders based on their voice?
ems like it. "Research that looked at US presidential candidates between 1960 and 2000 found that in all eight elections, the candidate with the lower voice had won the popular vote." Via Eurekalert: A team from the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior found that study subjects were more inclined to vote for men with lower-pitched voices, suggesting that perceptions developed long ago may be still be influencing the way we choose leaders. And: To test voice-related perceptions, the researchers…
1 min read
Can writing speed physical healing?
s. Psychological stress impairs the healing of wounds. Writing about your problems can reduce stress and speed recovery. OBJECTIVES: Psychological stress is believed to impair wound healing via a down-regulation of the immune system. Since previous research suggests that disclosure of traumatic experiences can result in an up-regulation of immune function, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of a disclosure intervention on the progress of wound healing. DESIGN: The study used a prospective, longitudinal design with random assignment…
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The Simple Thing Will Make You A Much Better Communicator
sturing: Do the gestures that speakers produce while talking significantly benefit listeners' comprehension of the message? This question has been the topic of many research studies over the previous 35 years, and there has been little consensus. The present meta-analysis examined the effect sizes from 63 samples in which listeners' understanding of a message was compared when speech was presented alone with when speech was presented with gestures. It was found that across samples, gestures do provide a significant, moderate…
1 min read
How can you learn to be more charismatic?
er at the excellent BPS Research Digest there's a great review of research on charisma. Is it something that can be learned? Yes: Managers who underwent training saw their charisma ratings significantly grow, relative to those who didn't. What are the techniques that make someone more charismatic? Framing through metaphor. Stories and anecdotes. Demonstrating moral conviction. Sharing the sentiments of the collective. Setting high expectations. Communicating confidence. Using rhetorical devices such as contrasts, lists, and rhetorical questions together with non-verbal tactics such as body gesture, facial expression,…
1 min read
Is offering candy to dieters a great way to sell them a car?
lf-control is a limited resource. When we use it to resist temptation we have less left to defend against persuasive appeals: Four studies investigated a self-control theory of resistance to persuasion. This theory asserts that resistance to persuasion requires and consumes self-control resources. Study 1 showed that resistance to a persuasive message reduced the ability to engage in a subsequent self-control task. Studies 2 and 3 showed that self-control depletion leads to increased persuasion. Study 4 showed that self-control depletion…
1 min read
Is gossiping good for you?
s, but be nice, says Science Daily: Gossipers feel more supported and positive gossip -- praising somebody -- may lead to a short-term boost in gossipers' self-esteem. And: Dr. Cole said: "Gossiping is usually seen as a bad thing. Our findings suggest some forms of gossiping- particularly of the type where people praise others- could be linked with some desirable outcomes for the gossiper despite the fact that gossipers are not generally approved of." Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free…
1 min read
Is mimicry the key to sales?
om Harvard Business Review: Retail salespeople who subtly mimic customers' speech and behavior are more successful at selling... 78.8% bought such a product from mimickers, compared with 61.8% from nonmimickers. Afterward, customers who had been mimicked were more positive about the salespeople and the store. Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email here. Related posts: How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert New…
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