7-38-55 rule: This underestimated factor influences how we appear to others

Let's imagine two people sitting across from each other in a café. Perhaps they're on a date. One person has expressive facial expressions, and their voice changes dramatically while they're talking. We can't understand exactly what they're saying, but we can certainly glean some information about the person just from these two nonverbal communication features. And that's no coincidence.

Verbal versus nonverbal communication: The 7-38-55 rule

As early as 1967, renowned behavioral psychologist Albert Mehrabian, while researching communication at the University of California, Los Angeles, developed and coined the so-called 7-38-55 rule. This rule, also known as the Mehrabian rule, states the following: Seven percent of all communication is verbal, i.e., through what we actually say. 38 percent, however, occurs through our tone of voice, and a whopping 55 percent of our communication occurs through our facial expressions, as Mehrabian explains in his book "Silent Messages."

If we become aware of the large role played by nonverbal communication, we could use it to our advantage in conversations. For example, by making sure to speak slowly and calmly and to look friendly and open, we will appear more likeable to our counterparts. In job interviews, for example, we could pay more attention to our tone of voice and facial expressions, thus influencing how we come across to our counterparts. Apparently, this has an even greater impact than what we say.

This is what is really behind the phenomenon

However, Mehrabian's research wasn't necessarily about manipulating others through nonverbal communication. He had something else in mind: situations in which people talk about their feelings, but their words and their body language don't match.

Albert Mehrabian explains this in his book "Silent Messages": "Total sympathy = seven percent verbal sympathy, 38 percent vocal sympathy + 55 percent facial sympathy, and similar formulas have emerged from experiments that specifically focus on the communication of feelings and opinions (for example, like – dislike). Therefore, these formulas are not applicable if a communicator does not explicitly talk about feelings or attitudes."

The 7-38-55 rule comes into play, for example, when we're talking to someone and they assure us they're not angry with us. However, if they cross their arms and don't look us in the eye while saying this, these nonverbal cues can be an indication that they're not being honest in their verbal communication. And being able to correctly read and understand these nonverbal cues is an important factor in our emotional intelligence.

mbl Brigitte

#Topics