90. Mood Influences the Decision-Making Process

You have just been offered a new job. The work is interesting, and there’s more money, but there are downsides too. You’ll probably have to travel more and work longer hours. Should you take the new job or stay where you are? Your gut tells you to go for it, but when you sit down and make a list of pros and cons, the cons outweigh the pros, and the logical method tells you to stay put. Which will you follow: your gut or your logic?

Marieke de Vries and her team (2008) conducted research to find out. They were interested in the intersection between mood and decision-making strategies.

Participants were shown a video clip from either a Muppets movie (happy mood) or the movie Schindler’s List (sad mood). Next they were shown some Thermos products. Some participants were told to choose which Thermos they’d like to win in a lottery based on their first feeling (intuitive condition). Other participants were instructed to evaluate the different products in terms of the pros and cons of their features and attributes (deliberative condition).

After the participants chose the Thermos they preferred, they estimated the monetary value of their Thermos. Next they filled out a questionnaire that measured their current mood, and lastly they filled out a questionnaire that rated their usual style of decision-making: intuitive or deliberative.

Here is a summary of their results:

• The video clips worked in terms of getting people into a happy or sad mood.

• Participants who usually make intuitive decisions estimated the value of the Thermos higher when given intuitive instructions.

• Participants who usually make deliberate decisions estimated the value of the Thermos higher when given deliberate instructions.

• Participants in a happy mood estimated the value of the Thermos higher when making an intuitive decision, regardless of their usual decision-making style.

• Participants in a sad mood estimated the value of the Thermos higher when making a deliberative decision, regardless of their usual decision-making style.

• There were no gender differences.

Evaluate How You Might Be Affecting Mood

You may not have a lot of control over factors that might affect your audience’s mood, such as the presenter before you, the room you are in, or the overall culture in the organization. But if at all possible, think about what you might be able to do during your presentation that would affect the mood, including video clips, music, and your own facial gestures and mood (see the chapter “How People React to You”).

Takeaways

• Some people tend to make decisions intuitively, and others tend to make them in a deliberate way.

• People will estimate a product to be of higher value if they can make the decision in their “natural” style.

• If you can find out someone’s style you can suggest to them how to make a decision, and that will result in a higher estimation of the value of a product.

• You can influence someone’s mood easily—for example, with a short video clip.

• People in a good mood will rate a product as being more valuable if they are asked to make the decision quickly based on their first feelings.

• People in a sad mood will rate a product as being more valuable if they are asked to make the decision in a more deliberate way.

• If you influence people’s mood, then you can suggest to them how to think about their decision-making process. This will result in a higher estimation of the value of a product or service.

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