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 your boss a narcissist?
re likely than not: These studies investigate whether individuals with high narcissism scores would be more likely to emerge as leaders during leaderless group discussions. The authors hypothesized that narcissists would emerge as group leaders. In three studies, participants completed personality questionnaires and engaged in four-person leaderless group discussions. Results from all three studies reveal a link between narcissism and leader emergence. Studies 1 and 2 further reveal that the power dimension of narcissism predicted reported leader emergence while controlling…
1 min read
Does it matter what a doctor wears?
solutely. People trust doctors more when they wear that white coat: Purpose There are very few studies about the impact of physicians’ attire on patients’ confidence and trust. The objective of this study was to determine whether the way a doctor dresses is an important factor in the degree of trust and confidence among respondents. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study using survey methodology was conducted of patients and visitors in the waiting room of an internal medicine outpatient clinic. Respondents…
2 minutes
What do you have to do to be perceived as a leader?
eak first. Speak often. Psyblog brings the answers: Crucially, though, the study showed that not only did a leader's dominant behaviour of itself encourage others to see that person as competent, but this was true even though their suggestions to the group were no better, or even worse than others. In reality the leaders did not always make the best contribution to the task, but their voices were usually heard first and most often. This study suggests leaders emerge through…
1 min read
Guys, how should you speak so women remember what you say?
en take note: If you want women to remember, speak to them in a low pitch voice." Via Eurekalert: ...according to a new study by David Smith and colleagues from the University of Aberdeen in the UK. Their work shows for the first time that a low masculine voice is important for both mate choice and the accuracy of women's memory. The research is published online in Springer's journal, Memory & Cognition. Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via…
1 min read
What motivates us more than most anything else?
ogress. I've posted about this before. In his excellent blog Mind Hacks, Vaughan Bell points out that we don't even need to make real progress -- the illusion of progress is enough to light that fire: I just came across a fantastic study published in the Journal of Marketing Research which shows that we can be convinced to shift into a higher gear of work and spending, even when the perception of progress is a complete illusion. And: They did an experiment where they gave some…
1 min read
Do narcissists or junkies make better leaders?
rcissists don't. From APA: Narcissists rise to the top. That’s because other people think their qualities—confidence, dominance, authority, and self-esteem—make them good leaders. Is that true? “Our research shows that the opposite seems to be true,” says Barbora Nevicka, a PhD candidate in organizational psychology, describing a new study she undertook with University of Amsterdam colleagues Femke Ten Velden, Annebel De Hoogh, and Annelies Van Vianen. The study found that the narcissists’ preoccupation with their own brilliance inhibits a crucial…
2 minutes
Is there a smell that promotes good behavior?
predicted, participants in the clean-scented rooms returned significantly more money than those in the baseline condition, t(26) = 2.64, p = .01, d = 1.03 (see Table 1). The clean scented room led participants to resist exploitation and reciprocate the trusting behavior of the sender. Source: "The Smell of Virtue, Clean Scents Promote Reciprocity and Charity" from Psychological Science 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…
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