For our Speech 197 (Research Methods) class in 2011, I had to do a report about Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT). I stumbled upon a paper written by Marcia Dawkins wherein she explained the theory using the romantic comedy film Hitch. I decided to make a video about the study. It has been four years since I posted the video in YouTube and I am still getting feedback from students who research about URT.
The video has already generated more than 16,000 views! It is too bad, though, that Ms. Dawkins did not give me any credit when she posted the video on her website :(
The video has already generated more than 16,000 views! It is too bad, though, that Ms. Dawkins did not give me any credit when she posted the video on her website :(
Uncertainty Reduction Theory explains how it is natural for us to use verbal and non-verbal cues as strategies to reduce our uncertainty towards people we meet for the first time. Some applications of this theory include getting to know the person you matched with on Tinder (not that I am familiar with this app *wink wink*), trying to decipher the mystery behind the new guy who wears sunglasses inside the classroom, figuring out if the person you will be interviewing is indeed a criminal or if he simply looks like one, checking if your employee really had diarrhea when he did not show up to work the day before (side note: want to detect if someone is lying? Ask him to e-mail you about it. People are more hesitant to lie when there is written proof), and proving whether the hot guy who caught your attention in the gym is gay or not.
I won’t elaborate anymore about the study but I bet that with the help of Will Smith and Eva Mendes, you can easily understand this communication theory and you will realize that you unconsciously use this theory in everyday situations. Enjoy watching! :)
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