Offended by an innocent work email

ll of us have heard tips for “netiquette” – those helpful hints for avoiding offense or miscommunication in the messages we send. But neither good intentions nor perfect email etiquette will necessarily avoid problems. 

This is because email readers are often subject to what’s called “negative intensification bias”. They often read into messages negativity the sender didn’t intend, or they exaggerate even a hint of negativity.