Using guilt to persuade others can backfire if it makes them feel directly responsible for someone else's suffering, according to a new experiment that analyzed multiple research studies.
Guilt is commonly employed by advertisers, fundraisers, and also parents to encourage certain behaviors.
Meanwhile, it's not a great idea to do it.
Studying guilt and its effects
The study revealed that guilt has only a small persuasive effect overall.
Surprisingly, guilt is more effective when it appeals to an individual's general desire to improve society rather than making them feel personally responsible for a specific issue.
The researchers suggest that practitioners consider various factors to make guilt appeals more persuasive.
The experiment analyzed data from 26 studies involving over 7,500 people and found that guilt is more persuasive in environmental and educational contexts but less effective in health communications.
Guilt is found to be more motivating when addressing broader issues like natural disasters or social injustice.
The researchers recommend using guilt implicitly rather than explicitly stating that individuals are responsible for others' suffering.
