Why do we find some people more credible than others?

The 

Messenger Effect

, explained.
Bias

What is the Messenger Effect?

The messenger effect is a cognitive bias that causes us to judge the validity or relevance of information based on its source. Instead of objectively analyzing the message’s content, our opinions of the person delivering the information affect our interpretation. 

Where this bias occurs

Imagine you are attending a workplace meeting. Everyone is there, from the interns to the CEO. While discussing strategies for the company’s direction, Josh, a junior-level employee, raises his hand. He shares his idea about packaging a new product to make it more appealing to younger customers. The response is underwhelming, and the brainstorming session quickly resumes. 

Around 15 minutes later, Marta, a senior manager, shares an idea that is nearly identical to the one Josh mentioned earlier. However, this time, the CEO and other leadership seem very excited about the idea, and the meeting topic shifts to how to set “Marta’s plan” in motion.

This hypothetical company meeting demonstrates the power of the messenger effect. Josh’s idea wasn’t ignored because it was bad. It was ignored because he was the one who shared it. Josh is fairly new to the company and has very little experience. When Marta reintroduces the idea, her track record of success and reputation for innovation lend the idea more credibility. As a result, the leadership team is much more interested in exploring her suggestion.

Related Biases

Sources

  1. Alvarez, R.M., Debnath, R., Ebanks, D. (2023). Why don’t Americans trust university researchers and why it matters for climate change. PLOS Clim 2(9): e0000147. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000147
  2. Marks, J., & Martin S. (2019). Messengers:who we listen to, who we don't, and why. PublicAffairs.
  3. Hovland, C., & Weiss W. (1951). The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. The Public Opinion Quarterly, Winter, 1951-1952, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Winter, 1951-1952), pp. 635-650. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2745952
  4. Kassin, S. M. (1983). Deposition testimony and the surrogate witness: Evidence for a "messenger effect" in persuasion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9(2), 281–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167283092013
  5. Egan, M., Holden, B., Service, S., & Snijders, V. (2017). Why do parents bring children with minor illness to emergency and urgent care departments? Literature review and report of fieldwork in North West London. The Behavioural Insights Team. Imperial College London. https://www.bi.team/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Why-do-parents-bring-children-with-minor-illness-to-emergency-and-urgent-care-departments-FINAL-BIT.pdf

About the Authors

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Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

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Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

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