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Mehrabian's 7-38-55 Rule

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: Mehrabian found that when words and cues conflict, people judge feelings 7% from words, 38% from voice and 55% from the face.
Contents
  1. 1. The studies
  2. 2. Scope and myths
  3. 3. Relevance to counselling
  4. 4. References

The studies

In two 1967 studies Mehrabian and colleagues presented single words such as 'maybe' in liking, neutral or disliking tones, or with facial photographs, and measured how listeners judged the speaker's attitude. Combining the results gave 7% words, 38% voice and 55% face.

Scope and myths

  • The ratio applies only to feelings and attitudes and only when verbal and nonverbal cues conflict.
  • The claim that 93% of all communication is nonverbal is a misreading; Mehrabian himself warned against it.
  • Lab studies with single words and still photos generalise poorly to real conversation.

Relevance to counselling

The core point - people trust nonverbal cues when they clash with words - remains useful. Eye contact, open posture, nodding and tone build rapport, and mismatches between a client's words and expression are cues worth exploring.

References

  1. Mehrabian, A., & Wiener, M. (1967). Decoding of inconsistent communications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 6(1), 109-114.
  2. Mehrabian, A., & Ferris, S. R. (1967). Inference of attitudes from nonverbal communication in two channels. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31(3), 248-252.
  3. Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent Messages. Wadsworth.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '메라비언의 법칙' on CampusDown →
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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.