Sep 10
23
America Idol made an announcement Wednesday that Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and holdover Randy Jackson will be the new judges for season 10 of the hit Fox show. So it seems America won’t have it’s favorite villain, Simon Cowell, to kick around anymore. With the announcement, it made me remember a piece of research I read recently. It’s something that could stop you from making your next sale, especially if you sell globally. What is it? 
You tell me, when you watched Simon on the Idol did you like him? I actually, on the rare occasion I watched the show, thought he was funny..but not everyone does, and the reason may be more then he tends to be an ass.
Researchers from the University of Chicago and professor Boaz Keysar wanted test people with accents to see if they were believed more or less then people without accents.
To test the impact of accent on credibility, American participants were asked to judge the truthfulness of trivia statements by native or non-native speakers of English, such as, “A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel can.”
Simple prejudice could affect ratings of truthfulness, so the researchers tried to minimize that effect by telling participants the information in the statements was prepared for the speakers, and was not based on the speakers’ own knowledge
Despite knowing the speakers were reciting from a script, the participants judged as less truthful the statements coming from people with foreign accents. On a truthfulness scale prepared for the experiment, the participants gave native speakers a score of 7.5, people with mild accents a score of 6.95 and people with heavy accents a score of 6.84.
“The accent makes it harder for people to understand what the non-native speaker is saying,” Keysar said. “They misattribute the difficulty of understanding the speech to the truthfulness of the statements.”
So Simon..our favorite villain, may have been believed less because he does not sound like us. Poor guy will just have to be happy with his millions.
We tend to like people who are like us – and an accent can really hurt.
Christian
Hi Bryan,
What a great point about selling influence about having an accent can hurt us. Do you think it is in particular a foreign accent vs. another regional accent here in The States? Indeed, I imagine at the unconscious mind level, we have learned to be wary of some who “Sounds” foreign. They are not like us and on some level until we know them better, we are fearing that there might be danger, don’t you think?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Dating After 40 Expert
Interesting point about the accent study. Makes me wonder if it had more to do with xenophobia than being able to understand them?
I liked Simon when I watched American Idol because he was more accurate in judging whether someone really could deliver what a record company expected. Plus, he was a pussycat compared to how record company execs really are, so if people thought he was hard on them, they really are in for a shock. To me, he was doing a good job of preparing people for what it would really be like once the cameras were gone.
Michael
The Success Secrets
I’ve never really thought about it before, but your right I do react to people with accents differently than those that don’t.
Don
http://donhillonline.com
Very interesting but it really does make sense. In spite of how enlightened we all try to be, we really do have rather deep-seated biases that we are unaware of.
Dennis
Create The Life of Your Dreams
I would have to believe that the type of accent would make a difference in terms of believability. Americans generally view English accents more favorably than others, which in Simon Cowell’s case would make a difference.
Steve
This is interesting. I typically love talking to people with foreign accents. Are there certain foreign accents that seem to be less truthful than others?
Sabrina Peterson, NASM CPT, CES
Corrective Exercise for Every Body
this is a riot! but also sad that it’s true that this is how we judge people.
how about various accents in the U.S.? I heard a lawyer interviewed one night with one of the thickest Bronx accents in the world…it was hard to take him seriously cause it sounded like he was from My COusin Vinny…sad but true.
jen battaglino
Anxiety Treatment Specialist
we base our judgment on inconsequential data all day long – good post
Kevin Hogan
Effective Tinnitus Treatment
As a Brit living in the US, I’m not sure about this one – on the one hand, I get a lot of people on the phone say they love my accent but can’t understand a word I say, and on the other hand, I know that by not undestanding everything I say, the impact may be lost somewhat – and a lot of what we say goes against accepted wisdom when it comes to looking after their pets, so they need to trust what I tell them.
A dilemma indeed!
Rae & Mark
Sunroom Designs
Interesting response from Rae and Mark. I love listening to different accents but I don’t know if they would cause me to alter my business decisions with them. I suppose only if I truly couldn’t understand them.
Yours In Health!
Dr. Wendy M. Schauer, D.C., R.K.C.
Come Experience The Power of the Russian KettleBell Revolution at Kettlebell Olympia – Home of A Better Body With Bells!
I thought Americans loved the British accent!
http://alamghafoor.com
Alam, I think that is a sterotype about Americans loving a british accent — I think most Americans when they think of the British accent – think of the Queen, i.e., Received Pronunication and not the variation of British accents that exists on the island…. Just my 2 quid.
Eileen
Social Media: 7 Reasons People Go Online. And You?
Interesting observation which experience teaches is true – depending on our various experiences – don’t you think? We tend to sterotype peoples, and an accent is just part of the package….
But what do other peoples, with other accents, in other countries, think of the various American accents….?
Eileen
Social Media: 7 Reasons People Go Online. And You?
Interesting point! I work with people from all over the planet, so I need to be sure that I don’t have some hidden bias based on someone’s accent. To be truthful, I think Brits sound smarter than Americans, because they tend to enunciate their words better. BTW, I think Simon’s leaving is a bad move – people love controversy and he was easy to dislike!
Karen Van Ness
http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com
Bryan, I would have never thought that a person with an accent would be considered less truthful. I wonder if the person’s looks have anything to do with the prejudice. I know that people who are considered goo looking have an easier time influencing others.
Scott Sylvan Bell
http://www.crackedheatexchanger.com
Now go implement!
I always thought Simon Cowell was the only judge on American Idol worth listening to becasue he told the TRUTH. Randy Jackson is a joke– all “dog” this and “dog” that… and Paula Abdul was a glorified cheerleader always looking for the bright side…
only Simon was willing to say that they were not awesome, and without him American Idol could be in big trouble unless Steven Tyler steps into the truthful role, and this is tough since he is an insecure celebrity himself.
Seize the Day,
Survival Rob
Is Your Family Prepared For A Financial Crisis or Natural Disaster?
Very interesting study about the accents! I think that also that there is a tendency to believe that when someone has an accent in a language does not know enough…or just because you come from somewhere else you think differently.