When and why Language Assertiveness Affects Online Review Persuasion

Recent research suggests that not only what is said (i.e., opinions) but also how it is said (i.e., language styles) can affect persuasion. Extending this stream of work, the current research aims to understand how language assertiveness affects online review persuasion. Study 1 explores consumers’ general perceptions of assertive versus nonassertive language and opinions about their relative persuasiveness in online reviews. Study 2 utilizes an experimental design to examine the congruency effects between language assertiveness and temporal distance on consumer responses. We find that online reviews containing assertive (vs. nonassertive) language engender higher perceived review helpfulness and more favorable attitudes toward the reviewed business for consumers whose travel time is in the distant future, whereas nonassertive (vs. assertive) language is more effective for consumers whose travel time is in the near future. Furthermore, mediation analysis results suggest that psychological comfort is the underlying mechanism explaining such effects.