We all know that the sense of power brings changes to one's behavior but now there's a scientific proof that people on highest positions are even changing the way they speak.
Article continues below
You probably heard a top manager saying "We are successful" and "Your team failed". When everything is OK, "we" are in the game; when something is wrong you will almost never hear "We failed," it is "You failed". There is a reason for that: people in power are using different language than the rest of us.
A new study has found that British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and the late Lady Thatcher used hubristic language during their respective periods in office. It has been suggested that a number of Prime Ministers may have developed a personality disorder known as Hubris syndrome while in power.
Researchers at St George's, University of London have discovered that this personality change was reflected in both Mr. Blair's and Ms. Thatcher's use of language. Hubris is commonly associated with a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities.
It is characterised by a pattern of exuberant self-confidence, recklessness and contempt for others, and is most particularly recognised in subjects holding positions of significant power.
Researchers at St George's, University of London searched for evidence of some of these clinical features in the language used by three British Prime Ministers – Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and John Major – by examining transcribed samples of spoken language taken from Prime Minister's Questions.
They thought that frequent use of certain words or phrases, such as "sure", "certain" and "confident", the first person pronouns "I" or "me", references to God or history, might show up during "hubristic" periods.
They found that "I" and "me" and the word "sure" were among the strongest positive correlations over time in Tony Blair's speech. Mr. Blair's use of the word "important" also increased with time. Words and phrases that became more frequent with time in the speeches of Lady Thatcher and Tony Blair also included the phrase "we shall", while phrases that included the word "duties" diminished. The authors also found that language became more complex and less predictable during hubristic periods.
"Hubris syndrome represents a radical change in a person's outlook, style and attitude after they acquire positions of power or great influence. Hubristic behaviour is widespread, and not confined to politics: hubristic overconfidence in the financial sector almost certainly contributed to the recent banking crisis.
"They become obsessed with their self-image, excessively confident in their own judgement and dismissive of others, often leading to rash, ill thought-out decisions. In other words, the acquisition of power can bring about a change in personality: it is as if power, almost literally 'goes to their head," said Dr Peter Garrard, the lead researcher, from St George's, University of London. ■