Sound Determins Value?

Research has found that the mere sound of numbers can affect our perception of what is, and is not, a good deal. The effect was more apparent when there was a frame of reference (regular price). Sometimes, the sounds of numbers created false impressions - participants thought a $10 item reduced to $7.66 was a greater discount than $7.22.

Consumers basically attach what a price looks and sounds like to a value (e.g. "This is expensive"). Small sounds often gave the perception of big deals.

Previous discoveries indicate people also associate vowel and consonant sounds with physical size. Front vowels (long a, e, i) and fricatives (English f, z, s) convey smallness, while back vowels (/u/ in goose, foot) indicate largeness.

Desire Influences Perception

Psychological Science reports that simply desiring something affects our perception as well as our behavior.

In one experiment half of the participants were given salty pretzels while half were given water to drink. Afterwards, a water bottle was placed in front of each group and each was asked to estimate its distance. The salty pretzels group, i.e. the thirsty volunteers, estimated the water as closer to them than volunteers who drank water earlier.

In another experiment individuals tossed a beanbag towards a gift card worth $25 or $0, winning the card if the beanbag landed on it. Volunteers threw the beanbag much closer if the gift card was worth $25 vs. $0 — they underthrew the beanbag when attempting to win the $25 gift card because they saw the card as being closer to them.

The findings further the notion that when we see a goal within our grasp, we push ourselves to go for it.