Why fear won’t always persuade

2026-08-03

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To persuade someone, most of us are tempted to use fear. We tell clients how much they’ll struggle if they pick a competitor. We tell our kids how they’ll lose TV time if they don’t finish their homework. We plead with our partners to kick bad habits by highlighting how unhealthy it’s making them. We all do it; we opt for doom-and-gloom messages baked in fear. But today's guests on Nudge, Elizabeth Dunn and JZ, explain that these messages won’t work. When it comes to persuasion, fear doesn’t persuade. To find out what does, ...

To persuade someone, most of us are tempted to use fear.

We tell clients how much they’ll struggle if they pick a competitor. We tell our kids how they’ll lose TV time if they don’t finish their homework. We plead with our partners to kick bad habits by highlighting how unhealthy it’s making them.

We all do it; we opt for doom-and-gloom messages baked in fear.

But today's guests on Nudge, Elizabeth Dunn and JZ, explain that these messages won’t work.

When it comes to persuasion, fear doesn’t persuade.

To find out what does, listen to today’s episode of Nudge.

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