What is the Mehrabian rule?
Sallie Waelchi
2025-08-06 19:53:09
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7-38-55 rule is based on two studies by Albert Mehrabian, from the University of California, in 1967 that clearly demonstrated that the impact and credibility of any communicative act mainly depends on: 55% - Body language 38% - Paralinguistic (eg. tone of voice) 7% - Words/message. The formula was developed from two studies conducted in 1967 by Albert Mehrabian, Morton Wiener and Susan Ferris at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). It should be borne in mind that the purpose of the authors was not the analysis of communication in general but only the communication of emotions and attitudes. Mehrabian combined the statistics from the two studies and created the formula 7-38-55. The author himself has posted a post on his personal page to avoid misunderstandings: Please note that this and other equations concerning the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages are derived from experiences that deal with the communication of emotions and attitudes (i.e., like and dislike). Unless a communicator is talking about their emotions or attitudes, these equations are not applicable. When these three factors reinforce each other, communication is congruent. The formula 7-38-55 refers exclusively to the communication of emotions and attitudes and not to communication as a whole.
Joyce McLaughlin
2025-08-01 05:27:21
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Mehrabian’s studies explored the roles of tone and body language in communication. But the context was very specific: He focused on situations where spoken words were incongruent with facial expressions or vocal tone, particularly in conveying feelings and attitudes like liking or disliking. In his research, Mehrabian found that when there was a conflict between words and nonverbal cues, people tended to rely more on nonverbal signals (55% body language, 38% tone of voice, and 7% words) to judge the speaker’s attitude. However, this ratio only applies to cases with ambiguity or contradiction between verbal and nonverbal elements, not to communication as a whole. Non-verbal signals play a role in communication, but they are not more important than words. The popular claim that 93% of communication is nonverbal is a myth, and it misrepresents the original findings of Albert Mehrabian’s research from the 1960s. The “93% rule” emerged as a misunderstanding of Mehrabian’s findings. Simplifying Mehrabian’s findings into a blanket “93% of communication is nonverbal” statement distorts the original research and overlooks the complexity of human communication.
Molly Will
2025-07-20 23:35:24
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Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Communication model says that 7% of the meaning of feelings and attitudes takes place through the words we use in spoken communications, while 38% takes place through tone and voice and the remaining 55% of communication of these factors take place through the body language we use. Based on research, Albert Mehrabian has concluded that only 7% of feelings and attitudes takes place through the words we use in spoken communications, while 38% takes place through tone and voice and the remaining 55% take place through body language. We are often told that tone, body language, nuance and facial expressions play a huge role in our communications. Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Communication Model shown as a pie chart illustrates this concept. We convey huge amounts of information through our tone and body language, not just our words. Even Professor Mehrabian called out words of caution around the absolute accuracy of these percentage in his work, noting that his research focused on the communication of emotions and feeling. Regardless of the exact accuracy of the model, the underlying message, that words alone don’t constitute communication, is very important. Many individuals and leaders fail to appreciate the importance of other means of communication, such as non-verbal signs from others, which can improve their awareness of others and their awareness of the impact of their words and actions on others.
Rosa Gislason
2025-07-20 23:32:06
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: 18
The 7-38-55 rule is a concept concerning the communication of emotions. The rule states that 7 percent of meaning is communicated through spoken word, 38 percent through tone of voice, and 55 percent through body language. It was developed by psychology professor Albert Mehrabian at the University of California, Los Angeles, who laid out the concept in his 1971 book Silent Messages. According to the 7-38-55 rule, 93 percent of meaning is communicated non-verbally. Your tone of voice and body language are much more important than what you’re actually saying. The rule is also sometimes referred to as the Mehrabian rule, with the same concept applying, that nonverbal cues like body language and tone of voice can communicate more about a person’s feelings than their words.
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