![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thumbs.dreamstime.com\/b\/apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-funny-version-proverb-motivational-inspirational-poster-representing-sayings-simple-49903569.jpg\")
<\/a>Apples are good for you, but that doesn’t mean that you can avoid going to the doctor altogether! (https:\/\/www.dreamstime.com\/stock-illustration-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-funny-version-proverb-motivational-inspirational-poster-representing-sayings-simple-image49903569)<\/p><\/div>\n
we are surrounded by rhymes of all kinds. First, they were nursery rhymes and now they take the forms of aphorisms and commercial slogans. Though we might not realize it, these rhymes have the ability to affect how we perceive the world. Given the choice between \u201cwoes unite foes\u201d<\/em> or \u201cwoes unite enemies,\u201d<\/em> participants generally found the former more accurate although the two phrases have similar meanings (McGlone & Tofighbakhsh, 2000). Why is that? The answer lies in a phenomenon called the Rhyme as Reason Effect, which means that we are more likely to believe something to be true if it rhymes. Think about it, how many times have you been told \u201ci before e except after c\u201d<\/em> or \u201can apple a day keeps the doctor away\u201d<\/em> and thought that they were sound advice? Though these phrases are not necessarily correct, they are often repeated and believed to be true.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So how does the Rhyme as Reason Effect work and what makes rhyming so persuasive anyway? Heuristics, mental shortcuts that can help us make quick decisions and judgments, plays a big role. When this phenomenon was first studied, McGlone and Tofighbakhsh found that participants perceived aphorisms that rhymed to be more accurate than the modified non-rhyming version (\u201cLife is mostly strife\u201d over \u201cLife is mostly struggle\u201d)<\/em>, which demonstrates that there is bias for the rhyming aesthetic in a sentence. They also found that rhymes enhanced the fluency of statement which increased the perception of truth. Fluency is how easily something is processed; this heuristic can explain the effect because the faster and smoother something is processed, the more likely it is for us to think highly of it whether the item was logical or not. Because heuristics makes it easy for us to go for the simple answer without second-guessing our decision, we fall victim to the effect without even realizing it.<\/p>\n https:\/\/image.slidesharecdn.com\/tikai2-130903054805-phpapp02\/95\/about-insights-things-i-wished-i-knew-when-i-started-out-46-638.jpg?cb=1378780626<\/p><\/div>\n Not only are rhyming aphorisms easily processed and memorable, but they are also often repeated and passed down from generation to generation (e.g.\u00a0\u201cbirds of a feather flock together\u201d<\/em>). In order to understand this a little bit more, we can refer to the cognitive processes of memory to explain why familiarity and repetition are so important. Familiarity is an automatic process that occurs when we experience something repeatedly, so when we hear rhyming aphorisms, we also unconsciously believe the statement to be true because it is familiar to us (Begg, Anas, & Farinacci, 1992). Thus, repeated exposure with these statements increases familiarity and make that information more salient, or accessible, to our minds. Furthermore, if something is repeated enough times, it is more likely to be seen as a true statement; this is another cognitive bias called the illusory truth effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.geckoandfly.com\/18726\/beautiful-dr-seuss-quotes-love-life\/<\/p><\/div>\n It is more difficult for us to realize when we experience the Rhyme as Reason Effect because we grew up listening and reading nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Whether it is \u201cTwinkle, twinkle, little star\u2026\u201d<\/em>, \u201cGreen eggs and ham\u2026 Sam-I-am\u201d<\/em>, or \u201cMirror, mirror, on the wall\u2026\u201d<\/em> we really have seen it all! With all that practice, we are experts at detecting rhymes. Now how exactly does \u201cThe Cat in the Hat\u201d affect our perceptions and how we learn, you may wonder. Well, as we read more rhymes, we begin to develop more associations between what words rhyme, which develop our expectations for phrases that rhyme. A study by Sheingold and Foundas found that children were able to put the story in order better if it rhymed because the rhyming words provided cues that helped with the retrieval (to access memory for what was read) process. These rhyming cues provided context and phonological (audible) structures that were present at the encoding (processing) stage of memory, which served as a retrieval cue <\/a>for the children.<\/p>\n Better “Beanz Meanz Heinz” than “Kids full of beans.” This slogan has lasted over 40 years and continues to be a popular advertisement jingle. http:\/\/tropicalsundesign.com\/beanz-meanz-heinz\/<\/p><\/div>\n Because we are constantly exposed to rhymes growing up, familiarity with words and phrases that rhyme also increase, and the recognition of a phrase that rhyme is automatic. This makes us more vulnerable to catchy catchphrases and commercials that use rhymes to their advantage. In an age of commerce and technology, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements everywhere we go. As familiarity increases, so does affinity (as shown in the mere exposure effect<\/a>)<\/u> and advertisers are definitely using rhymes to their advantage. A study on how the Rhyme as Reasons Effect is used in commercials found that rhyming statements were more popular and easier to remember than non-rhyming statements, but the quality of the rhymes was also important as better rhymes were considered more trustworthy (Filkukov\u00e1 & Klempe, 2013).\u00a0This study demonstrates the application of this effect on a day-to-day basis and further emphasizes how prevalent \u201caesthetic\u201d is in our life as well as its effects on our choice and perception.<\/p>\n Now that we understand what the Rhyme as Reason Effect is and how it works, is there any way to not fall prey to rhymes? Fear not, fret not! Once you are aware of this bias for rhymes, you are less likely to believe in rhyming statements. Another way to avoid this rhyming curse is to put the phrase in your own words and judge its context in order to see if it holds true or not. Additionally, as discussed by Filkukov\u00e1 & Klempe, the context and content of the phrase matters, so you might not even fall prey to the effect if it was something like \u201cThis is not cool, fool\u201d because it is not a good rhyme and is incorrect (I\u2019m sure you\u2019re a wonderful person).<\/p>\n To conclude, the Rhyme as Reason Effect is a cognitive bias where we evaluate how true a statement is based on its aesthetic quality, and how easily it is processed by the brain. Often time, this effect occurs automatically because rhymes are easily remembered and repeated, thus allows us to recognize and expect rhymes. Just because something sounds catchy doesn\u2019t mean that it is true.<\/p>\n References<\/p>\n Begg, I. M., Anas, A., & Farinacci, S. (1992). Dissociation of processes in belief: Source recollection, statement familiarity, and the illusion of truth.\u00a0Journal of Experimental Psychology: General<\/em>,\u00a0121<\/em>(4), 446. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1037\/0096-3445.121.4.446<\/a><\/p>\n Filkukov\u00e1, P., & Klempe, S. H. (2013). Rhyme as reason in commercial and social advertising.\u00a0Scandinavian Journal of Psychology<\/em>,\u00a054<\/em>(5), 423\u2013431. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/sjop.12069<\/a><\/p>\n Markman, A. (2008). To know me is to like me I: Mere exposure. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/ulterior-motives\/200811\/know-me-is-me-i-mere-exposure.<\/p>\n McGlone, M. S., & Tofighbakhsh, J. (2000). Birds of a feather flock conjointly (?): Rhyme as Reason in aphorisms.\u00a0Psychological Science<\/em>,\u00a011<\/em>(5), 424\u2013428.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1467-9280.00282<\/a><\/p>\n Sheingold, K., & Foundas, A. (1978). Rhymes for some reasons: Effect of Rhyme on Children\u2019s Memory for Detail and Sequence in Simple Narratives.\u00a0Psychological Reports<\/em>,\u00a043<\/em>(3_suppl), 1231\u20131234.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2466\/pr0.1978.43.3f.1231<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>