Summary: A innovative research challenges the widely held belief that high-quality, considerate listening is vital for persuasion. While good hearing improves how people feel about a discussion and reduces belligerence, it doesn’t increase the effects of persuasive information.
Otherwise, the research found that sharing captivating personal narratives—especially on polarizing issues like immigration—significantly and robustly shifts views. This suggests that what is said does matter more than how compassionately it’s delivered, at least when it comes to changing significantly held political views.
Important Information:
- Stories Persuade: Personal reports changed sights more than energetic listening.
- Listening Builds Rapport: It reduced belligerence but didn’t raise reasoning.
- Long-Term Effect: Narrative-driven discussions led to sustained attitude shifts.
Origin: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A new research reveals that while high-quality, considerate listening improves how people feel about a conversation—reducing belligerence and enhancing views of the listener—it does not produce persuasive messages more efficient at changing views.
Using a large-scale field experiment on immigration, the researchers found that sharing a compelling personal narrative significantly and durably shifted participants ‘ views, regardless of whether the speaker practiced active listening.
This challenges the widespread belief that listening is essential for persuasion, suggesting instead that what is said may matter more than how empathetically it is delivered.
Their , study, published in the , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenges long-held beliefs about the power of listening to facilitate persuasion. The research was led by Dr. Roni Porat from the Department of International Relations and Political Science at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Dr. Erik Santoro ( Columbia University ), Dr. David E. Broockman ( University of California ), and Dr. Joshua L. Kalla ( Yale University ).
For decades, scholars and practitioners have promoted the idea that high-quality, nonjudgmental listening can reduce defensiveness and increase openness during difficult conversations, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of persuasion. But does listening actually change minds?
To rigorously test this assumption, the research team conducted a large-scale, preregistered field experiment involving nearly 1, 500 U. S. participants.
Participants engaged in 10-minute video conversations with trained canvassers acting as confederates. The topic was in-state tuition for unauthorized immigrants—a highly contentious and socially relevant issue.
In a randomized design—a technique that previous work has established is effective at persuasion—the study included some conversations that included a persuasive personal narrative about an undocumented immigrant, while others did not.
Independently, some canvassers practiced high-quality nonjudgmental listening, while others did not. Researchers measured participants ‘ attitudes both immediately after the conversation and five weeks later.
The results were striking. Persuasive narratives alone led to meaningful, lasting changes in attitudes toward undocumented immigrants and related policy positions.
High-quality listening, while it improved perceptions of the persuader and reduced emotional defensiveness, did not enhance the persuasive effect of the narrative. These findings suggest that while listening can foster better interpersonal connection, it may not directly amplify persuasion as commonly assumed.
” This challenges a foundational assumption in how we approach dialogue across divides”, said Dr. Porat. ” While listening has clear interpersonal value, its role in changing minds may be more limited than previously thought”.
The study has important implications for political organizers, conflict mediators, and anyone working to bridge social and ideological divides. It suggests that the content of what is said—particularly personal narratives—may matter more for persuasion than how it is said, at least when it comes to deeply held political attitudes.
About this psychology research news
Author: Roni Porat
Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Contact: Roni Porat – Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
” Listen for a change? A longitudinal field experiment on listening’s potential to enhance persuasion” by Erik Santoro et al. PNAS
Abstract
Listen for a change? A longitudinal field experiment on listening’s potential to enhance persuasion
Scholars and practitioners widely posit that listening to other people enhances efforts to persuade them. Listening may enhance persuasion by promoting cognitive processing, reducing defensiveness, and improving perceptions of the persuader. However, empirical tests of this widely theorized hypothesis are surprisingly scarce.
We review the case for and against this hypothesis, arguing previous research has not sufficiently attended to reasons why listening may not enhance persuasion.
We test this hypothesis using a preregistered, well-powered field experiment in which trained professional canvassers, acting as confederates, had ∼10 min video conversations with U. S. participants ( N , = 1, 485 ) about unauthorized immigration, a salient topic of disagreement.
We independently randomized whether confederates shared a persuasive narrative about an undocumented immigrant and whether they practiced high-quality nonjudgmental listening to participants ‘ opinions.
We measured outcomes immediately after the conversation and again five weeks later. Sharing a persuasive narrative meaningfully and durably reduced prejudice and changed policy attitudes.
The listening manipulation also successfully improved perceptions of the persuader and increased processing. Surprisingly, however, the listening manipulation did not enhance persuasion: Sharing a persuasive narrative was just as effective in the absence of high-quality listening. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.
