Labeling effect

Overview

The labeling effect is a psychological phenomenon in which a person's behavior changes to match a label given to them by others. It draws on labeling theory, proposed by the sociologist Howard Becker in 1963. In educational psychology there is also a similar phenomenon known as the "Pygmalion effect," and a study reported that students whom teachers expected to "grow" improved their grades (a 1968 paper by Rosenthal and Jacobson).

Labeling in a question box

In a question box, there are moments when followers label you. Followers send messages like "Your answers are always funny," "You're such a kind person," and "You have great taste." When the person answering keeps receiving positive labels like these, they may start acting in line with those labels without realizing it.

Someone labeled "a funny person" works hard to write funnier answers. Someone labeled "a kind person" starts answering more carefully. The label changes the behavior, and the changed behavior strengthens the label.

Watch out for negative labels

The labeling effect also works in a negative direction. When you get labeled "boring" or "cold," you may end up really acting that way. When you receive negative messages in your question box, it's important not to take those labels in as part of who you are.

The same goes for how you treat others. Deciding in a question box that someone is "an X kind of person" is an act of putting a label on them. Be generous with positive labels and careful with negative ones. Keeping this in mind helps keep communication in a question box healthy.