Healthy Skepticism Library item: 14189

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Cesario J, Higgins ET.
Making message recipients
Psychol Sci 2008 May; 19:(5):415-20
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119410470/abstract

Abstract:

Nonverbal cues are an inherent component of most persuasive appeals. We use regulatory-fit theory as a framework for understanding the effect of nonverbal cues on a message’s effectiveness, and as a foundation for developing a new persuasion technique. We propose that when the nonverbal cues of a message source sustain the motivational orientation of the recipient, the recipient experiences regulatory fit and feels right, and that this experience influences the message’s effectiveness. Experimental results support these predictions. Participants experiencing regulatory fit (promotion-focus participants viewing messages delivered in an eager nonverbal style, prevention-focus participants viewing messages delivered in a vigilant nonverbal style) had more positive attitudes toward a message’s topic and greater intentions to behave in accordance with its recommendation than did participants experiencing nonfit. Feeling right was also greater for participants experiencing fit than for those experiencing nonfit and was associated with greater message effectiveness. Regulatory-fit theory provides a framework for making precise predictions about when and for whom a nonverbal cue will affect persuasion.

Keywords:
Attitude* Cues* Emotions/physiology* Gestures Humans Motivation Nonverbal Communication/psychology* Orientation/physiology Persuasive Communication* Questionnaires Random Allocation Students/psychology Video Recording