The Hidden Power of Words

Who is more likely to receive generous tips in a restaurant - a waiter named "Dean," or one named "Don"? Do people secretly want the good news or the bad news first? Does speaking more than one language make you more, or less, trusting?

Words matter. Financial advisors distil troves of spreadsheets down to simple advice for their customers. Teachers spend hours on classroom materials so that students can get their heads around big ideas. Musicians pen lyrics and fine-tune song titles to evoke the right feeling. Politicians hire spin doctors to cast their latest initiative in a favourable light.

From social media to board meetings, we can't stop talking and typing, but do we really pause to consider what we're saying, how we're saying it, and why others might use words differently than us?

All of us have a vested interest in choosing words carefully. Words exert surprising, sometimes extraordinary power over individual decisions and behaviours. Drawing on the collective intelligence of governments, trial lawyers, journalists and more, while applying the latest cutting-edge knowledge, The Hidden Power of Words exposes meaningful, often counterintuitive findings about everyday language that have been hiding for far too long.