Verbs drive the action in the sentence, and so when we are trying to change people’s behavior, it’s natural to focus on finding the correct action word to trigger a change. Recent research by psychologists in studies with adults and children found that when it comes to altering behavior, verbs are not as powerful as nouns. How can this be?

Are you a voter or do you vote?

When it comes to behaviors that people feel are in the best interest of the group, or pro-social behavior, the way you frame the behavior can have a tremendous impact on how people react. People who were asked to complete a survey about an upcoming election were given the same survey except for one difference. In one survey people were asked about their likelihood “to vote” and people in another survey were asked about their likelihood “to be a voter” in the election. This one difference (verb vs. noun) in a single question accounted for an 11% increase in voter turnout for the people who read the question with “to be a voter” over those who read “to vote.”

We do as we are, not what you tell us to do

The reason for this difference had everything to do with how a noun creates a sense of identity for people. When we have created a sense of who we are in our minds, a voter, a helper, or a supporter, we know the right types of actions these characters will do when given the choice. Verbs just don’t seem to have the same power over people. In order to get people to act we do better to create a sense of identity in a person’s mind that will lead them to take the right action than if we explicitly insist on the right action. In other words, verbs might create action in sentences, but nouns create characters who take action in real life.

Characters from the beginning

Subsequent studies with children showed just how early this effect of nouns on behavior is observable. We are deeply influenced by the way we think of ourselves as a character, and we tune out messages that demand we take action without connecting that to our identity or self-concept. There are great examples of how these messages have worked in public service messages and advertisements. Please share an example you can think of in the comment section.

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