Big Words

Does using big words make you seem smarter? Or does it just make you seem stuck up? We put it to the test in an novel experiment with 400 people.

Bold Text, Tone, & Memory

When sending emails, can bolding the key details make them easier to recall? If so, does it make other info less memorable? And how does it affect your perceived tone? We put all of these questions to the test in an email experiment.

Bulleted Lists & Memory

How can you make your writing more memorable? Whether it's an important email, presentation, or grocery list, you want your readers to remember what you wrote. Is a bulleted list the silver bullet? According to our psychology study, it just might be.

CAPS, Tone, & Memory

Putting words in ALL CAPS can signal importance. However, it can also feel like shouting. Does formatting text in all caps boost memory at the cost of a harsher tone? We used a randomized experiment with 1,200 email readers to find out.

ChatGPT - Disclosing You Used It

Content creators are covertly using generative AI to produce written content. But disclosure regulation is on the horizon. In this experiment with 1,200 readers, we tested how crediting ChatGPT affects perceptions of the information and the content creator.

Exclamations in Emails

If you use exclamation marks in work emails, you may wonder how it affects your readers' perceptions of you. Do gender or age matter? We conducted an email experiment with 400 people to find out. 

"I" Sentences

Starting each sentence with the word "I" is conventionally discouraged. Some think it can make you look self-centered, cold, or unoriginal. But in a randomized experiment with 1,200 email readers and social media post viewers, we find different results.

Old vs. New Research

Academic research takes years to publish. Many even question whether the findings are still relevant once they're in print. In this study, we tested the public's perceptions of the longevity of research believability by framing a finding as published either 2 years ago or 22 years ago.

Parentheses - Nuance or Nuisance

Parentheses provide supplemental details that (while potentially helpful) are not essential. Does including those details (and the parentheses enclosing them) boost informativeness? Or are they just annoying? We have the data in this 1,200-person experiment.

Semicolon Perceptions

Semicolons are rarely used. They're optional, and using them correctly requires specific grammatical knowledge. However, perhaps that makes users seem smarter; or perhaps it just signals arrogance. We put it to the test in an experiment with over 1,000 people. 

Slang

New-age acronyms and made-up meanings underpin the informal, yet exclusive lexicon of slang. It can provide meaning and identity to those who use it. But not all the world's a fan, fam. Our experiment reveals how the use of slang affects your image.

Statistics & Persuasion

Can adding a statistic to support your claim convince others of its validity? We ran experiments across three contexts, including politics, business, and a college essay, measuring audience perceptions of claim believability and claim-maker competence.

There, Their, They're

One of the most common grammatical mistakes is mixing up there, their, and they're. Does it make you seem less smart in the eyes of your peers? To find out, we conducted an experiment with 1,200 people in the contexts of social media and work.

Typos

We all make mistakes, especially when writing or typing. But making it a habit may affect your image. According to our workplace research study, typos in emails significantly affect how smart, likable, and trustworthy you seem.