People Judge Poetic Language as More Truthful

The way we talk and chatter really seems to matter.
If our words are a delight, people think that we are right.

You might shudder at my clumsy attempt at poetry above, but research suggests that there is good reason to include rhymes in everyday language. Our choice of words matters for how we are perceived.

The importance of language becomes evident when looking at names and terminology, which carry surprisingly strong meanings. For example, recent research shows that the language used to describe health threats can affect people’s memory and risk perceptions. Furthermore, the words we choose can influence how well our listeners take in new information. The use of figurative speech and metaphors, for example, can make abstract concepts easier to grasp.

Sometimes, our choice of words can even influence people’s beliefs. This is where poetic language plays an unexpected role.

The rhyme-as-reason effect

Most people will agree that poetry is pretty. Listening to rhyming song lyrics is fun and reading a carefully penned poem can touch people’s feelings. However, research suggests that rhymes aren’t just aesthetically pleasing. When sentences include rhyming words, they are often judged as more truthful. This surprising fact is called the “rhyme-as-reason effect”.

Early experiments on the rhyme-as-reason effect asked participants to judge the accuracy of rhyming statements (for example, “Woes unite foes”). They compared the ratings to statements of the same meaning that didn’t include a rhyme (for example, “Woes unite enemies”). Most participants rated the rhyming sentences as more accurate. Follow-up research confirmed the findings and offered explanations for the surprising effect. It appears that the pleasing nature of rhyming language makes it easier to process and take in. This relative ease or so-called processing fluency makes the statements appear more truthful. It isn’t just rhyming language that improves processing fluency. Related research showed that symmetric statements (for example, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”) also increase people’s perceptions of truthfulness.

Of course, using rhymes or other aesthetic language features to judge a statement’s accuracy is not a reliable strategy. The rhyme-as-reason effect can therefore be exploited, for example by clever marketing firms when advertising their products. A study by Norwegian researchers found that rhyming advertising slogans were perceived as more persuasive compared to their non-rhyming counterparts. Companies could therefore capitalise on these insights and use rhymes to tempt customers into buying their products.

Using language to your advantage

A growing body of research highlights the importance of carefully chosen language to communicate successfully. Surprisingly, even subtle aesthetic features such as rhyming words or symmetric sentence structures can sway people’s judgments. Who would have thought that poetic sentences appear more accurate?

Therefore, knowing about the rhyme-as-reason effect and the power of words more generally provides a strategic advantage. It may help you spot the effects of carefully designed adverts and commercials. Indeed, simply remembering to differentiate between a sentence’s aesthetic aspects and its meaning might be enough to guard against this effect. Additionally, you could use your knowledge of effective language in everyday communications, for example with children. Most kids enjoy rhyming sentences and song lyrics. As a bonus, rhymes might be a persuasive teaching tool. Is it time to switch up never-ending repeats of Wheels on the Bus with a rhyming song about the goodness of broccoli? Or how about this motivational tidy-up song by UK children's musician Nick Cope? It's a firm favourite in our home.