Chameleon effect: when we imitate the other without realizing it
If you are a regular in documentaries about nature, you will surely have noticed that animals do all sorts of bizarre things to adapt better to the environment. One of the most striking strategies used to survive in environments with biological diversity, for example, is imitate other species .
As representatives of this example we have from butterflies that pretend to have a face on their outstretched wings to harmless snakes that have evolved to resemble deadly pit vipers. However spectacular it may seem to maintain this kind of disguise, what is clear is that it works for them: otherwise, natural evolution would not have carved its masks with that precision.
This ability to imitate other organisms is known as mimicry, and human beings also use it, although we are not used to realizing it. This phenomenon is known as chameleon effect .
What is the chameleon effect?
It is known as "chameleon effect" the tendency to unconsciously imitate the people with whom we are relating .
The existence of this pattern of behavior is well documented, and seems to be triggered by the mere perception of the other person. As soon as we get in touch with her, we have a good chance of starting to imitate her tone of voice, posture and other subtle aspects related to non-verbal language.
It is believed that the raison d'être of the chameleon effect is get to establish something similar to a synchrony with the other person that allows to please it more and to facilitate the communication. In addition, more empathic people tend to turn more in the task of imitating the interlocutor. On the other hand, it is very likely that mirror neurons are directly involved in this curious phenomenon.
The drawbacks of unconscious mimicry
However, the chameleon effect is a double-edged sword. Not only the positive aspects of the other person are imitated, they predispose to have a communicative and open attitude: the negative aspects are also imitated . That is to say, that our tendency towards the establishment of synchronicities with the interlocutor does not consist of using a non-verbal language and a specific voice to fall into grace with the other person, on the contrary.
Because of the flexibility that requires dealing with many people in many different moods, the chameleon effect it involves replicating the other's behavior, whether friendly or not . This can be harmful to us, as has been proven in recent research.
The experiment of the chameleon effect
In this experiment, a simulated telephone interview was conducted to a series of candidates for a job. The questions were recorded, and were formulated with a negative tone of voice (previously those recordings had been evaluated according to the scales "enthusiasm-boredom", "positive-negative" and "cold-warm"). Throughout job interviews, it was confirmed that the candidates tended to imitate the tone of voice of the recordings , although none realized it.
In addition, adopting a negative voice everything significantly impacted the impression they made on a jury responsible for its evaluation as potential employees. This creates a vicious circle or, in this case, a self-fulfilling prophecy: the interviewer who has low expectations of being satisfied with the candidate uses a negative voice everything. The candidate, in turn, endorses that tone of voice and makes the interviewer reaffirm his prejudices, when in reality he is only seeing a reflection of his own communicative disposition. And all this happens, of course, without either of them realizing the irrationality of this dynamic.
Your application in marketing
It is clear that although the chameleon effect is reminiscent of the mimicry used by some small animal species, its function is not the same. In the first case the objective is to survive, while in the second ... it is not clear. In fact, it could be that this tendency to imitate unconsciously had no use ; after all, not all the characteristics that have emerged from biological evolution are practical.
However, they do have an area in which this mimicry is used as a resource: that of sales. Experienced commercials learn to imitate the gestures, rhythms and even the positions of their interlocutors to convince them better by creating a "state of mutual harmony" . Whether this measure is really effective or not, in any case, is very debatable.
- Perhaps you are interested in these articles:
"Heuristics": the mental shortcuts of human thought
Neuromarketing: your brain knows what you want to buy
Bibliographic references:
- Chartrand, T. L. and Bargh, J. A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception-behavior link and social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76 (6), pp. 893-910.
- Smith-Genthôs, K.R., Reich, D.A., Lakin, J.L., and de Calvo, M. P.C. (2015). The tongue-tied chameleon: The role of nonconscious mimicry in the behavioral confirmation process. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 56, pp. 179 - 182.
