21st Century Family

I love to study communication and came across a very interesting article in the Scientific American. The study that was discussed involved a process of putting very difficult to read instructions (very complex font) in front of one group while putting very easy to read (simple font) instructions in front of another (the exact same instructions were used for each group). At first they tried instructions for working out and amazingly found that the 20 yr old students quickly associated the task of working out directly with how difficult or easy the instructions were. The group that had easy to read instructions looked at working out favorable while the other group had no intention of working out and viewed it negatively. This test was then replicated with instructions for making a Japanese Sushi roll…the results were the same. The students directly associated the difficulty of working out or preparing food with the style of font used in the instructions. After these observations here is what the article ended with:

“Our brains employ all kinds of tricks and shortcuts to get us through the day with the least mental and physical effort, but it is good to be wary of these automatic judgments. If unchecked, our tendency to confuse thoughts and actions can make dubious choices seem easier and more desirable than they ought to be, or it can discourage us from healthy habits and creative exploration.” Read entire article

It never ceases to amaze me when I read an article like this. It reminds me just how much we are like sheep and how much our arrogance can blind us. Do we even see and notice so many things that affect us and affect our families (like font). We assume we are nothing like sheep and so intellectually superior that we are always pro active and in control of our environment. The study above only controlled and tested for one small variable (font) and the affects were great. How much more then can we assume the amazing amount of media exposure affects our families?? Are fonts and thousands of other minor details not controlled to deliver messages on a regular basis??? On the flip side of this…how much can clear communication from family member to family member help? How much more clearly can understanding how we communicate help our home? We will explore ways to communicate more clearly in future posts.

Encouragement: Do something difficult….unplug and take a journey to understanding how different things as little as a font can affect your life and affect your family!