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What in the Word! The Scope for the Effect of Word Choice on Economic Behavior

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  • Katherine Farrow
  • Gilles Grolleau
  • Naoufel Mzoughi

Abstract

We propose that words can be an object of systematic study in the field of economics and outline an approach to the study of word choice in behavioral economics. We consider words as strategic instruments of influence and review how they can impact behaviors in several subtle and distinctive ways, namely through their capacity to elicit affect, support identity and social belonging, evoke linguistic associations, and generate bias arising from variations in fluency. We provide a variety of examples to illustrate the behavioral impacts of words through these mechanisms and provide practical recommendations regarding how words can be harnessed by policymakers to reach socially desirable goals through a consideration of how word‐related behavioral anomalies shape incentives.

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  • Katherine Farrow & Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2018. "What in the Word! The Scope for the Effect of Word Choice on Economic Behavior," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(4), pages 557-580, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:kyklos:v:71:y:2018:i:4:p:557-580
    DOI: 10.1111/kykl.12186
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    Cited by:

    1. Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi & Angela Sutan, 2019. "Does advertising the green benefits of products contribute to sustainable development goals? A quasi‐experimental test of the dilution effect," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 786-793, July.
    2. Tomaselli, Maria Fernanda & Kozak, Robert & Gifford, Robert & Sheppard, Stephen R.J., 2021. "Degrowth or Not Degrowth: The Importance of Message Frames for Characterizing the New Economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Hind Dib-Slamani & Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2023. "Does a company’s origin matter in moral judgment?," Post-Print hal-03134106, HAL.
    4. Farrow, Katherine & Grolleau, Gilles & Mzoughi, Naoufel, 2021. "‘Let's call a spade a spade, not a gardening tool’: How euphemisms shape moral judgement in corporate social responsibility domains," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 254-267.
    5. Gilles Grolleau & Alain Marciano & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2019. "The Scope For The Strategic Use Of Scandals," Working Papers hal-02306906, HAL.
    6. Barsha Saha & Miguel Martínez-García & Sharad Nath Bhattacharya & Rohit Joshi, 2022. "Overcoming Choice Inertia through Social Interaction—An Agent-Based Study of Mobile Subscription Decision," Games, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Grolleau, Gilles & Mzoughi, Naoufel & Peterson, Deborah & Tendero, Marjorie, 2022. "Changing the world with words? Euphemisms in climate change issues," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    8. Gilles Grolleau & Murat C. Mungan & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2022. "Letting offenders choose their punishment?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(4), pages 607-617, November.
    9. Gilles Grolleau & Murat Mungan & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2022. "Letting Offenders Choose Their Own Punishment ?," Post-Print hal-03694337, HAL.
    10. Gilles Grolleau & Alain Marciano & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2020. "The scope for the strategic use of scandals," Post-Print hal-02306906, HAL.
    11. Alexandre Asselineau & Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2023. "Quiet environments and the intentional practice of silence: Towards a new perspective in the analysis of silence in organizations," Post-Print hal-04251781, HAL.
    12. Tamara Bogatzki & David Stadelmann & Benno Torgler, 2019. "Guiltily Indebted? How a Word Can Affect Individual Borrowing," CREMA Working Paper Series 2019-03, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    13. Gilles Grolleau & Alain Marciano & Naoufel Mzoughi, 2020. "The Strategic Use of Scandals," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(4), pages 524-542, November.
    14. Bruno S. Frey, 2020. "What are the opportunities for future happiness research?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 67(1), pages 5-12, March.

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