“Rhyme as Reason Effect”
What is the Rhyme as Reason Effect?
The tendency to assign truth or validity to a statement that rhymes.
Business Relevance
Jingles in advertising exploit this bias to improve recall and validity of their claim. “Plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is!”
Difficulty
Creating rhymes that are relevant, consistent, and remarkable is difficult. Poor rhyming feels like sliming. (See?)
Everyday Application
For internal use, even poor rhymes can be used as a method to reinforce important concepts with an employee base. “Don’t get banged up when a prospect hangs up.” is a terrible example I just thought of. In the end, it will still stick with new sales reps and may serve as a helpful mantra for overcoming frustration during the cold call process.
“He who has begun has half done.”
“Work for a cause, not for applause.”
Citation
| McGlone, M. S., & Tofighbakhsh, J. (1999). The Keats heuristic: Rhyme as reason in aphorism interpretation. |
