Silence Speaks

Imagine three friends discussing a movie. One argues in favor of its merits; the second disagrees. The third, wanting to stay out of the fray, says nothing. He might not realize it, but he could still be sending a message, the meaning of which depends on where you stand in the debate.

In three experiments published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, participants were assigned a role in a hypothetical discussion about a movie or a new brand of bottled water. They were told "their" opinion and read those of others—then were asked to guess the opinion of one person in the conversation who stayed mum. On average, their guess leaned toward their own opinion—even if they were in the minority. By contrast, when asked to imagine how someone who wasn't present would lean, participants predicted she would agree with the majority.

This phenomenon could be particularly impactful in the workplace, says study author Kimberlee Weaver, a psychologist at the University of Haifa. "Leaders may see their own opinion reflected back by silence," she says. "But there are many reasons why people may not want to speak their minds."