You look fantastic!
Image: iStock/Stacey Newman
-
The Wisdom of Psychopaths
In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a...
Read More »
Here at Scientific American we understand the wisdom of our readership. Your intellect sets you apart from the rest of the population, and we are gracious to have you as visitors to this website. As someone of exceptional judgment, we know you will be interested in subscribing to our exclusive online material, appropriate for only the most discerning intellectuals, and available to you for only $9.99/month.
If appeals like this make you roll your eyes, you’re not alone. Most people tend to not appreciate flattery accompanied by obvious ulterior motives, and consider themselves fairly adept at determining whose compliments are sincere and whose are BS. Great tie, boss! Professor, your article redefined my entire understanding of human nature. I know we just met, gorgeous, but I’ve already fallen in love.
But what if this stuff actually works ? And not just on the suckers who can’t tell the difference between the sincere and the insincere, but on those who recognize these techniques for what they are. Such was the hypothesis of a new study, conducted by Elaine Chan and Jaideep Sengupta at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and published in the Journal of Marketing Research.
Participants in the study were asked to evaluate the merits of a new department store opening in the area based on one of the store’s advertisements. In addition to describing the new store’s offerings, the ad lauded readers for their impeccable sense of style and eye for high fashion. While participants overwhelmingly categorized the pamphlet as flattery with the ulterior motive of pushing blouses, the experimenters were more interested in how their attitudes would be influenced at the implicit level. Might participants develop a non-conscious positive association with the department store, even after rejecting the ad as meaningless puffery? And if so, would this implicit reaction be a better predictor of decisions and behavior down the road? Will even the people who are wise to advertising tricks end up at the register, credit card in hand?
It turns out that implicit attitudes towards the store were more positive than explicit attitudes. They were also better predictors of reported likelihood of making future purchases, as well as likelihood of joining the store’s club. So it seems that while participants quickly dismissed these ads at the explicit level, the flattery was exerting an important effect outside their awareness.
The authors speculated that the susceptibility to flattery stemmed from a simple desire to feel good about themselves. Indeed, we hold ourselves in high esteem, a phenomenon known as the above-average effect. Ask a group of people how good they are at driving, chances are they will all consider themselves to be above the mean. Of course, this is statistically unlikely. So, it is not surprising that we are particularly receptive to messages consistent with such a rosy-eyed view of our abilities and characteristics. We may dismiss it offhand when a subordinate compliments our new haircut, but deep down we’re thinking, “You know what? I do look good”.
In order to test whether the influence of insincere flattery on attitudes is driven by the motivation to self-enhance, the experimenters created two conditions – one in which participants were asked to write about an aspect of their personality that they would like to change and one in which they wrote about a valued trait. As predicted, engaging in self-criticism amplified the effect of flattery on implicit attitudes while self-affirmation tempered this effect. In other words, those of us who could use a little pick-me up to begin with are particularly vulnerable to the message behind a smooth sales pitch.
See what we're tweeting about
25 Comments
Add CommentMakes sense. That's why I have developed a conscious aversion to advertising - I don't like to be manipulated, in this way or any of the other multitudes of influencing methods. If I've seen something advertised I won't buy it. After all, the fact that it's been advertised means that it doesn't fly off the shelves. When was the last time you saw an ad for sliced bread?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRalf123, I saw bread advertised this weekend in a grocery (Kroger) flyer. It was sliced, too!! So, you must spend a LOT of time searching for things that are not advertised. Good luck. You must have to live under a rock.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou could embrace the concept, like the saying "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer". Think of the another aspect of advertising which is educational/informative. I was trying to remove rust from some steel tools several weeks ago, sanding and brushing, working my fingers raw, when I read an ad in one of my wife's catalogs advertising a liquid rust remover. Bought it, worked much better than my methods, and saved time and money!!
Back to the original article; I much prefer ads that are clever, FUNNY, well done, not overly gratuitous, but maybe indirect.
That article sure did give me an uprise, but when I see an advertisement that say, "it taste good too"; I avoid it like the plague, because my brain kicks in and tells me, "that probably taste like s--- smells".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know that some of SiAm's articles reads like Mrs. Jones third-grade class wrote them, but I would still pay for a subscription to your online magazine if you got in a condition where you would need the tax payers to bail you out. You are worth it, "you handsome cuss".
Speaking for myself, flattery tends to trigger more alarms and alertness than any kind of receptivity or dismissal. That's helped me out of some touchy spots in the past.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou are 'gracious' that I'm reading this article? Don't you mean 'grateful' or 'gratified?' One should never trust a mis-worded compliment from a source that should know how to use language correctly.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat article was well written and to the point your editor must be proud of you for enhancing such a great magazine with such a flattering report..........
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's funny how the article mentions the "above-average effect," and low-and-behold, most commenters think they are above average at detecting BS in advertising. Humans are hilarious.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this[Cerebrl]
Let me second that. This article was so spot-on, it helped me finish a chapter in a book I'm working on. Brilliantly done!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting study, but critical information was missing. Were the people who read the flattering ad compared to people who read a non-flattering ad or to people who did not read any ad? If the former, then I would agree with the article's conclusions. If the latter, then it could very well be that the people were influenced by the ad itself, not the flattery. There have been other studies which also showed that lower self-opinion makes people more easily influenced, so the second part could simply be due to that aspect, not the flattery itself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn the other hand, sign me up immediately! No, make that two subscriptions. I want to be considered extra intelligent.
Maybe the gorgeous young ladies will not dash through my door after drinking Bud Light (nasty stuff, BTW). But enough of it will make it seem so.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis of course would be culture dominant and status susceptible.TV has trained many cultures to be responsive to status notching and flattery.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIts one of the terrible rots of the western societies particularly American where it has entered the political process so completely , sane judgment appears (to an outsider) virtually impossible--leading to Pyrrhic victories.Those who have extensively flattered require special consideration-with the vindictive subtext in the small print.
As one reader says , the BS detector goes on high alert when in the zone.But much flattery is a form of back scratching which requires the consent of both parties.
Servile flattery can have negative consequences , namely sadistic punishment that people can also enjoy.
In the end the individuals status and personal security are the quotient to effective flattery ,oh and personality!
This of course would be culture dominant and status susceptible.TV has trained many cultures to be responsive to status notching and flattery.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIts one of the terrible rots of the western societies particularly American where it has entered the political process so completely , sane judgment appears (to an outsider) virtually impossible--leading to Pyrrhic victories.Those who have extensively flattered require special consideration-with the vindictive subtext in the small print.
As one reader says , the BS detector goes on high alert when in the zone.But much flattery is a form of back scratching which requires the consent of both parties.
Servile flattery can have negative consequences , namely sadistic punishment that people can also enjoy.
In the end the individuals status and personal security are the quotient to effective flattery ,oh and personality!
Very good article , I try to find something nice to say to someone at least once a day . Perfering to be truthful.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut I have used they ol' flattery trick once or twice, like , when my boss was in a crappy mood and taking his wrath out on everyone around ....I stood close with direct eye contact , let him go on and on for a period of time while not showing any fear or anger . Then when he took a deep breath to continue , I smiled and softly said "I love you , Mr. X."(in a sing-song way).
LOL , his brain short circuited , and he stood there dazed (knowing quite well that I really did not love him). When he recovered from the shock , he turned , went into his office and shut the door . He didn't speak to anyone for 3 days and refused eye contact with me for a week. But when ever he caught himself going off like that again , he'd glance my way and pull himself together.
So flattery works ....if you know what to say and the right time to say it .
This was a very interesting article... As a semi-conscious observer to ad campaigns, I find myself increasingly drawn to companies that "do good moral things" like giving $1 million to a good charity vs a commercial spot during the super bowl. I wonder if there is an even stronger emotional pull when a company gives the impression that they carry similar "moral values" as I do (or as I think I do LOL).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI quite agree - recently i actually took something out of my shopping basket when it was suddenly advertised over the shop's PA
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthe bread you saw advertised in the grocery flyer was advertising the store, not the bread. It was saying, "look! here's something you obviously need every day! WE have it!" It might as well have been toothpaste.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRemember the old saying, "Sell to the classes, live with the masses. Sell the masses, live the with classes" (or something close to that). The masses are average and ordinary people who are not particularly bright nor astute enough to recognize the fact that they are being flattered for the sake of making the sale as opposed to real praise.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo for those that say you're skeptical of advertising or obvious platitudes, remember....the advertisement isn't directed to you.
And like it or not, you probably fall for it more than you care to acknowledge....or, more likely, you're not even aware that you fell for it.
We all hear/see what we want to hear/see and put on blinders to filter out the black swans that don't confirm our desired reality.
There's a lot of smart people on both sides of the global warming debate....but one group is wrong and the other right.
There's a lot of smart people who hold very divergent beliefs about a myriad of things.
The key to marketing and sales is to identify your target market, find out what they want to hear and how they want to hear the message, then deliver your message in that manner to sell your ware.
And that statement is neither good nor evil, it is what it is. You can use it to deceive (i.e. Bernie Madoff) or to do good as countless companies have done for decades to sell their useful and valuable products to their customers.
I think flattery fails because of it's obvious shallowness. I like how Dale Carnegie recognized what I think you have touched on: "show honest and sincere appreciation for others". Flattery is the attempt at something you fail to possess.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"we are gracious to have you..." Think you meant to say "we are grateful to have you ..."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"We are *gracious* to have you . . "?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFlattery from idiots is not flattering!
I am most impressed by the superior quality of all the other comments, and am humbled to be able to rub electronic elbows with such a high class crowd!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWow, you guys really pegged it. I am a great driver.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWow, you guys really pegged it. I am a great driver and look fantastik!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn reference to Ralf123's comment, I'd have to say that I agree. I've make a conscious effort to avoid blatant advertising, i.e., I don't listed to commercial radio, nor watch commercial TV, which is almost 60% advertising. Instead, I have plenty of streaming (shows, news, documentaries) and subscription movie content on my TV which is virtually ad-free. I stick to MP3's, CD's and public radio in the car. After almost 2 years of doing this, I've noticed a marked level of daily stress-reduction, as well as an automatic tendency to be more critical and observant of each and every product I buy. When I AM subjected to normal commercial TV advertising after so long without, I'm stunned by the blatant idiocy and mind-numbing nature of it all. Instead of being constantly manipulated by background (and foreground) advertising on the TV and radio, when I want to buy something, I simply Google the product and do my own web research. Really people... do you need advertisers telling you what to buy in order to know what to buy?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlease change the title of this article to "Lying Will Get You Far". People are deceptive because people are gullible. If you think you aren't being manipulated by someone, you're more gullible than you realize.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this