Are referees swayed by loud crowds? | Nudge Newsletter 🧠


Power of the crowd.

Do loud football fans influence referees?

Will booing or cheering change an official's decision?

In 2002, three researchers decided to find out.

The researchers contacted 40 qualified referees and asked them to evaluate all incidents during a Liverpool vs Leicester City match.

  • 20 referees watched the game WITH crowd noise
  • 20 referees watched the game WITHOUT crowd noise

It turns out that those who heard the home crowd noise were influenced.

They award 15% fewer fouls against the home team.

The crowd influences us. It alters a ref's decisions and influences what we buy.

When McDonald's labelled the McFlurry the most popular dessert, sales increased by 55%.

We're swung by the opinion of the masses. Shaping the desserts we buy and our perception of footie matches.

Cheers!

Phill

Nudge Newsletter

I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.

Read more from Nudge Newsletter

Operational Transparency Read online Voltarol is the world's number one pain relief gel. Unlike almost every other gel on the market, Voltarol actually works. Clinical tests have been done to prove that the gel penetrates the skin to supply pain relief. And yet, there are dozens of other very successful paom relief creams that don't supply real pain relief. Take Blue-Emu, an over-the-counter cream with $42 million in annual sales. So, why is Blue-Emu successful in a world where Voltarol...

The Ringelmann Effect Read online In 1882, French engineer Maximilien Ringelmann studied effort.¹ He measured how much weight each man could pull. Individually, the men could pull 85 kg. But in groups of seven, they averaged just 65 kg, a 24% drop. This became known as the Ringelmann Effect. Put simply, it proved that as group size increases, individual effort decreases. Most of us will have seen this in the workplace, typically in bloated meetings where nothing gets done. But it's not...

The Effort Illusion Read online In 2003, two researchers¹ proved the illusion of effort. It means we value things more if we believe it took a lot of time to create. Chinander and Schweitzer had groups watch identical presentations. Groups were told one of two things: "This presentation took 8 hours and 34 minutes to prepare." "This presentation took 37 minutes to prepare." Those told the presentation took longer to prep rated it significantly higher. Can I prove this works? On Nudge, I like...