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Study: Fancy Talkers Make Worse Choices
23 Mar
Summary
- Corporate speak users may lack decision-making skills.
- Cornell study links jargon susceptibility to poor judgment.
- Bullshit receptivity correlates with lower analytical skills.
Research from Cornell University indicates a correlation between an employee's susceptibility to corporate jargon and their ability to make sound business decisions. The study defines "corporate bullshit" as misleadingly impressive, semantically empty corporate buzzwords and jargon. Employees who are most impressed by this type of language tend to perform worse on measures of analytical thinking and fluid intelligence.
Shane Littrell, the study's author, developed a "Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale" after testing 1,000 office workers. Participants rated statements generated by a "bullshit generator" alongside real corporate quotes. Those who fell for the jargon consistently chose less effective solutions to workplace problems, suggesting that this receptivity can lead to dysfunctional leadership.
While being swayed by corporate bullshit may lead to negative outcomes, it can also result in increased job satisfaction and a more positive perception of supervisors. The findings suggest that this phenomenon is not limited to less intelligent individuals, as participants were highly educated, indicating that anyone can be susceptible to well-packaged misleading language.
