A recent research confirmed that using less offensive words when describing certain strong terms changes people’s perception about the actions and the subject.

Doublespeaking phenomenon

Researchers at the University of Waterloo discovered that doublespeak actually works, Sciencedaily.com reported.

Use of softer terms changes people’s attitude to actions and things and makes them feel less offended. For example, a term «enhanced interrogation» can be used as a substitute to «torture». When people review such communication, they have a softer reaction to its content than if the real term used.

Alexander Walker, a PhD candidate in cognitive psychology, reviewed the phenomenon of doublespeak in the framework of psychology.

Scientists compared doublespeak with the phenomenon of «fake news».

Linguistic manipulation can become a way of misleading people. In the case of doublespeak, there is no reputation damage connected with fake news or an outright lie, however, there is no double a manipulation with a particular purpose.

PR people used it for a long time. For instance, remember the term “costume malfunction” that was once used when a male actor accidentally pulled a part of a female lead’s outfit on stage, showing her breast, which was broadcast to millions on live TV.

Finding a crafty way to put something incredibly offensive mildly, apparently, is a workable solution when something needs to be done to lessen the impact.

Use of softer terms changes people’s attitude to actions and things and makes them feel less offended.

Doublespeak changes judgments

For example, researchers evaluated whether substituting a neutral phrase ‘meat-processing plant’ with a term, having a strong negative undertone (slaughterhouse) – had an impact on how a person’s actions were perceived. Milder terms didn’t produce the same strongly negative impact on the audience.

So, peoples’ evaluations can be biased in a predictable manner when an individual uses more or less agreeable terms when describing an action.

The conclusion of the study is that people may utilize language manipulation, such as doublespeak, to lead the audience in a predictable direction. The use of language can change individuals’ views of events, other people, actions, and things.

Media and PR companies have been doing it for decades, but even though people understand what is happening, they still buy into the meanings, whether purposefully softening or hardening the view.

If we are not aware of this fact, our perceptions can be easily influenced.

Read also:

• Top-5 tips for dating Russian women online
• You can’t hide your emotions. Not anymore
• Why thinking before answering may hurt you
• How humour helps communication