Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) published their latest report. When men expressed their opinions with anger, people considered them more believable. But when women expressed anger, they were viewed as more emotional and, thus, less convincing. In other words, a man could benefit from using anger in power and persuasion. A woman, however, could be ignored or hurt by her group if she expressed anger.
The study was based on the responses of 210 students. They were shown evidence online from a murder (谋杀) trial. A man was said to have murdered his wife. The students were asked to decide if the man was guilty or not. Before making their decisions, the students discussed the case online with five jurors (陪审员). But these jurors were computers generating responses and comments. Some of the jurors had made identities. Others had female identities.
Some male jurors were anger about the verdict (裁决). When this happened, the students reacted by doubting their own decisions about the case. Confidence in their responses on the verdict dropped. However, when female jurors seemed angry, the students became more confident in their original verdicts.
Jessica Salerno, a psychologist and co-author of the study, said, "Our results provide something important for any woman who is trying to have an influence on a decision in her workplace and everyday life."
In a political debate, a female candidate might have less influence if she shows anger. In the entertainment world, actor Jennifer Lawrence recently wrote that women and men in Hollywood get the opposite reactions when expressing their opinions angrily. "All I hear and see are men speaking their opinions," she wrote. "When I give mine in the quite similar manner, you would have thought I said something annoying."
