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EN
One of psychology’s strangest experiments found that spilling coffee made a highly competent person more likeable but did not rescue an average one, suggesting that imperfection is charming only after people have already been given a reason to trust the person underneath it
['Written By', 'Lachlan Brown', 'Lachlan Brown Is A Writer At Silicon Canals Contributing Across The Mind Pillar. His Background Blends Formal Training', 'A Graduate Diploma In Psychological Studies Deakin University', 'With A Long Practice Of Eastern Philosophy', 'Two Decades Of Operating Businesses Scratch. He Writes About High-Performance Routines', 'Decision-Making Under Pressure', 'The Discipline Of Clarity In Technology Work', 'Where The Patterns That Govern Building Also Govern Living. He Splits His Time Between Singapore', 'Ho Chi Minh City.']
Silicon Canals
The average candidate answered only 30 per cent correctly and presented a more ordinary biography.
In the pratfall versions, listeners then heard the experiment’s famous line: “Oh my goodness, I’ve spilled coffee all over my new suit.”
The coffee did not make everyone charmingThe most attractive candidate was the highly competent man who spilled the coffee, with a mean attraction score of 30.2.
The least attractive was the average man who made the identical mistake, whose mean score was minus 2.5.
The classic coffee spill did not undermine the candidate’s intelligence.