The Power of Words: Using Persuasive Texts to Manipulate Teens' and Adults' Preferred Type of Chocolate

Persuasive texts aim to impact readers’ behaviors through linguistic manipulations. Advertisements, for example, attempt to convince consumers to prefer and purchase a certain product or service. The objective of this study was to examine whether persuasive texts impact people differently than informational texts and whether the former can lead to behavioral changes in the short term. The 135 teenagers and young adults who participated in the study were asked to taste two different types of chocolate spread that were, in fact, the same. The research groups were asked to read a persuasive text about the product before tasting Chocolate #1 and an informational text before tasting Chocolate #2. On the other hand, the control groups were asked to read informational texts before tasting both “flavors”. The results showed that both teenagers and adults were influenced by the persuasive texts when choosing their preferred flavor, yet to a different degree. These findings lead to a discussion about the power of words in shaping consciousness and minds.