biases

A large study examining crimes tried in courts found that physically attractive defendants often come off lighter than unattractive ones. Other studies found that even when crimes are not real, test subjects gave longer sentences to uglier people than attractive ones.

Some studies found that smiling people tend to get lower sentences. The expression of remorse can also influence a juries decision.

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.