The study: In eight experiments, doctoral student Yanping Tu and three collaborators—Christopher K. Hsee of the University of Chicago and Zoe Y. Lu and Bowen Ruan of the University of Wisconsin—found that people feel more negative toward individuals, images, and sounds if those “stimuli” are perceived to be approaching them. This aversion has cautionary implications for public speakers who like to get close to their audience as well as for marketers who zoom in on products in ads.
A version of this article appeared in the October 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review.
