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6 Mar

The Power of Words: How Euphemisms Manipulate Public Opinion Without Lying

The use of euphemisms to manipulate public opinion has been studied by Alexander Walker and colleagues from the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Their research, which was published in the journal Cognition in June 2021, found that the use of euphemisms allows leaders to influence public opinion without incurring the costs of lying-in terms of their reputation.<o:p></o:p>   Euphemisms are defined as attenuated expressions of unpleasant or shocking notions. For instance, the researchers cite the example of replacing the term "torture" with the more semantically pleasurable "enhanced interrogation." The study involved 1,906 participants, and it aimed to assess whether the substitution of a pleasant term for a nasty one had an impact on how people interpreted a person's actions.<o:p></o:p>     The results of the study showed that people's assessments of actions could be predictably biased when a person strategically used more or less pleasant terms to describe an action. The use of more pleasant terms was found to make descriptions of actions appear more truthful and distinct from lies. In contrast, the use of less pleasant terms had the opposite effect, making descriptions of actions appear less truthful and distinct from lies.<o:p></o:p>   However, the influence of pleasant and unpleasant terms was reduced when actions were made less ambiguous by providing participants with a detailed description of each action. Participants judged agents who used more pleasing descriptions to be more trustworthy and more moral than liars. The researchers concluded that manipulative language could be used as a tool to deceive the public, not through lies but rather through the strategic use of language.<o:p></o:p>   In conclusion, the study highlights the power of language in shaping public opinion. Leaders can use euphemisms to manipulate public opinion without resorting to outright lies, thus avoiding the costs associated with a tarnished reputation. However, the study also suggests that people can become more resistant to such manipulative language when actions are made less ambiguous and when they are provided with more information.<o:p></o:p>   <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">It's important to be aware of the ways in which language might be exploited to influence our impressions as news and information consumers. Euphemisms are but one instance of how language can be used to shape our thoughts unknowingly. We can become more discerning and less prone to deception by paying more attention to the language used in news reports, political speeches, and other types of media. By doing so, we can make better decisions and hold our leaders responsible for their deeds.<o:p></o:p> The use of euphemisms to manipulate public opinion has been studied by Alexander Walker and colleagues from the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Their research, which was published in the journal Cognition in June 2021, found that the use of euphemisms allows leaders to influence public opinion without incurring the costs of lying-in terms of their reputation.<o:p></o:p>   Euphemisms are defined as attenuated expressions of unpleasant or shocking notions. For instance, the researchers cite the example of replacing the term "torture" with the more semantically pleasurable "enhanced interrogation." The study involved 1,906 participants, and it aimed to assess whether the substitution of a pleasant term for a nasty one had an impact on how people interpreted a person's actions.<o:p></o:p>     The results of the study showed that people's assessments of actions could be predictably biased when a person strategically used more or less pleasant terms to describe an action. The use of more pleasant terms was found to make descriptions of actions appear more truthful and distinct from lies. In contrast, the use of less pleasant terms had the opposite effect, making descriptions of actions appear less truthful and distinct from lies.<o:p></o:p>   However, the influence of pleasant and unpleasant terms was reduced when actions were made less ambiguous by providing participants with a detailed description of each action. Participants judged agents who used more pleasing descriptions to be more trustworthy and more moral than liars. The researchers concluded that manipulative language could be used as a tool to deceive the public, not through lies but rather through the strategic use of language.<o:p></o:p>   In conclusion, the study highlights the power of language in shaping public opinion. Leaders can use euphemisms to manipulate public opinion without resorting to outright lies, thus avoiding the costs associated with a tarnished reputation. However, the study also suggests that people can become more resistant to such manipulative language when actions are made less ambiguous and when they are provided with more information.<o:p></o:p>   <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">It's important to be aware of the ways in which language might be exploited to influence our impressions as news and information consumers. Euphemisms are but one instance of how language can be used to shape our thoughts unknowingly. We can become more discerning and less prone to deception by paying more attention to the language used in news reports, political speeches, and other types of media. By doing so, we can make better decisions and hold our leaders responsible for their deeds.<o:p></o:p>

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The Power of Words: How Euphemisms Manipulate Public Opinion Without Lying

The Power of Words: How Euphemisms Manipulate Public Opinion Without Lying

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