Language frames: Words that shape our view of reality
Language influences our feelings, choices, and actions.
You spot a product in the supermarket labeled 95% fat-free. Does that appeal to you? Pause and decide before reading on.
Later, you see the same product labeled 5% fat. Does that change how appealing it feels?
Studies show that a product labeled 95% fat-free feels more appealing than the same product labeled 5% fat. The facts are the same, the framing isn’t. The first points to health, the second doesn’t.
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The framing effect is our tendency to be swayed by how information is presented. The same facts, framed differently, can lead to different perceptions, judgments, feelings, decisions, and actions. This influence is not based on the information itself, but on its presentation. Our judgments, decisions, and moral reactions are shaped not by reality, but by the way reality is described.
A frame is a lens through which we see a subject. It shapes how we perceive, interpret, and respond, highlighting some details while downplaying others. The same information, framed differently, can trigger very different associations. There is no truly neutral language because every word shapes a frame that influences how we interpret reality. Learn more about frames here.
The psychology of the framing effect
From a logical perspective, two statements mean the same thing if they describe the same state of the world. For example, after a match between teams A and B, the statements “Team A won” and “Team B lost” describe the same outcome.
From a psychological perspective, a statement’s meaning comes from the associations our mind forms with what we know, believe, value, and feel. “Team A won” highlights its actions, while “Team B lost” emphasizes what led to its loss.
Examples of the framing effect
Some examples show how it works in practice.
⚒️ Attribute framing (loss aversion)
Attribute framing occurs when the same information is presented in different ways to emphasize either a positive or negative aspect of a single attribute. A classic example is describing a glass of water as half full or half empty. Positive framing emphasizes gains rather than losses. It evokes positive associations and counteracts loss aversion, our tendency to prefer avoiding losses over achieving equivalent gains.
👉 Claiming a medical procedure has a 90% survival rate (positive frame) is far more reassuring than saying it has a 10% mortality rate (negative frame), even though both convey the same information. “Survival” evokes encouraging images of living (gain), while “mortality” evokes frightening images of dying (loss).
👉 When purchases on credit cost more than cash, credit companies frame the higher price as a cash rebate rather than a credit surcharge. People are more willing to forgo a discount than to pay a surcharge. Economically the same, the two feel different: giving up a gain (the discount) is less psychologically aversive than incurring a loss (the surcharge).
👉 Presenting the same price differently can change perception. For example, £50 per month feels more manageable than £600 per year, even though the total is the same.
⚒️ Risky choice framing (prospect theory)
Suppose a disease is expected to kill 600 people. If health program A is implemented, 200 people will be saved. If program B is implemented, there is a one-third chance that all 600 will be saved and a two-thirds chance that no one will be saved. Will you choose A or B?
If program C is implemented, 400 people will die. If program D is implemented, there is a one-third chance that nobody will die and a two-thirds chance that 600 people will die. Will you choose C or D?
Most people choose programs A and D. This is not logically consistent, because A and C have identical consequences, and B and D have identical consequences. Logically, people should choose A and C or B and D. Psychologically, we prefer the sure option over the gamble when outcomes are framed as gains, and the gamble over the sure option when outcomes are framed as losses. Saving lives with certainty feels good. Letting people die with certainty feels bad. Our risk-averse and risk-seeking preferences are shaped not by reality, but by frames.
⚒️ Mental accounting: narrow and broad frames
Story 1. A woman buys a ticket to the theatre. When she arrives, she discovers the ticket is missing. Do you think she will buy a new one?
Story 2. A woman arrives at the theatre intending to buy a ticket. When she opens her wallet, she discovers that the money she planned to use is missing. She can use her credit card. Do you think she will still buy a ticket?
When people see only one of the two stories, most think the woman in the first story will not buy a ticket, and the woman in the second story will.
Financially the stories are the same. The woman’s wealth drops by the same amount in both. But the situations trigger different mental accounts (frames). The lost ticket is placed in a narrow account tied to the play, so the cost of attending seems to have doubled and may no longer feel worthwhile. The lost cash is placed in a broad financial account, and the small drop in wealth is unlikely to stop her from buying a ticket.
The broader frame is more reasonable because sunk costs should be ignored. In both stories the loss has already occurred and cannot be recovered. The past is irrelevant. Only the options available now matter. To broaden her frame, the first woman can ask whether she would buy a ticket if she had lost the same amount of cash. Broader frames generally lead to more rational decisions.
⚒️ One word can shift your interpretation
Silently say to yourself, “I can't do this.” Notice how it feels. Heavy, limiting, discouraging?
Now silently say, “I can't do this… yet.” Notice the difference. Does it feel more open, flexible, full of possibility?
One word can transform how you experience a situation and how you respond.
For additional examples, visit One word can change everything
How to reduce the impact of the framing effect
Shielding yourself from the framing effect can be tiring and impractical, but it is worthwhile when the stakes are high.
⚒️ Become aware of the framing effect
Awareness is the first step in reducing the framing effect’s influence.
When making an important decision or judgment, pause to consider whether framing might be affecting you. Ask yourself:
🤔 How is the information presented?
Check whether it’s framed positively or negatively, as a gain or a loss. The way it’s worded can shift your perception.
🤔 What feelings does the frame trigger?
Frames can evoke fear, excitement, or other emotions that influence your decision.
🤔 What are the long-term consequences?
Thinking broadly helps you move beyond a narrow, immediate frame and see the bigger picture.
🤔 Could the frame be manipulative or deceptive?
Some frames are intentionally designed to influence your choice. Recognize them to avoid being misled.
🤔 What alternative frames exist?
Actively considering different ways to frame the same information can reduce the influence of the initial frame.
If you notice the framing effect at work, try reframing the information to reduce its impact.
⚒️ Reframe the information
Look at information from a new angle to weigh pros and cons more clearly.
Try this:
👉 Flip the frame: If a product is labeled 95% fat-free, also consider 5% fat.
👉 Shift your mindset: “I have to go to the gym” → “I get to go to the gym to take care of my body.”
👉 See opportunities: Treat challenges as chances for growth or learning.
Spotting and using frames
Frames shape how people think, act, and decide. Investigate the frames already in play. Shape the frame you want. Put it to work.
👉 Spot the frame. Identify the words in use.
👉 Build a frame. Choose words and examples that highlight what matters.
👉 Deploy the frame. Use it in conversations, policies, or communications to guide attention and choices.
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When we notice how information is presented, we can reduce its influence and make more informed decisions that align with our purpose and values.
References
Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
