Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Panera manages to make the most timid of product recommendations.
Have you seen a brand make the most lukewarm, uncertain pitch for its own product? Leave a comment to tell us about it.
When a brand says "You might also like..." they're expressing uncertainty using language that social scientists call "hedging."
But do these qualifiers make a message more or less influential? Well, in this month's episode of Opinion Science, Dr. Demi Oba reveals that it depends on what kind of hedge it is.
Would you trust a brand more if it sounded certain - or careful?
For more, head to this episode's webpage: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/the-power-of-confident-uncertainty-with-demi-oba
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Join the community and support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/OpinionScience
Opinion Science is a psychology podcast exploring the science of our opinions, where they come from, and how we talk about them. In each episode, I talk to social scientists and professional communicators about how their work reveals key insights into public opinion, communication, and persuasion.
Follow this psychology podcast...
Website: opinionsciencepodcast.com
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opinion-science/id1506227206
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0qbbKQR3GpvtzvGvuYz5Fp
Panera manages to make the most timid of product recommendations.
Have you seen a brand make the most lukewarm, uncertain pitch for its own product? Leave a comment to tell us about it.
When a brand says "You might also like..." they're expressing uncertainty using language that social scientists call "hedging."
But do these qualifiers make a message more or less influential? Well, in this month's episode of Opinion Science, Dr. Demi Oba reveals that it depends on what kind of hedge it is.
Would you trust a brand more if it sounded certain - or careful?
For more, head to this episode's webpage: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/the-power-of-confident-uncertainty-with-demi-oba
==================
Join the community and support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/OpinionScience
Opinion Science is a psychology podcast exploring the science of our opinions, where they come from, and how we talk about them. In each episode, I talk to social scientists and professional communicators about how their work reveals key insights into public opinion, communication, and persuasion.
Follow this psychology podcast...
Website: opinionsciencepodcast.com
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opinion-science/id1506227206
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0qbbKQR3GpvtzvGvuYz5Fp
