Tactic 48 of 99
The Loaded Word
Change one word and you change what they remember.
What it is
Small word choices shape how people see and even remember events. Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer showed people a film of a car crash. Those asked how fast the cars were going when they “smashed” into each other gave higher speed estimates than those asked about cars that “hit” each other. A week later, the “smashed” group were more likely to falsely remember broken glass.
Spot it
Words doing heavy lifting: “only,” “just,” “simply,” “natural,” “pre-loved,” “investment,” “slight.” Questions with a loaded word inside: “How badly did he upset you?”
Counter it
Swap the word for a neutral one and see if the meaning changes. “It’s only $200/€200 more” becomes “it’s $200/€200 more.” Answer the neutral version.