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Fortune
Fortune
Gleb Tsipursky

Commentary: The boomerang effect of armchair psychology in government and business

(Credit: Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

Imagine you’re driving along the highway, and see an electric sign saying, “79 traffic deaths this year.” Would this make you less likely to crash your car shortly after seeing the sign? Perhaps you think it would have no effect?

Neither is true. According to a recent peer-reviewed study that just came out in Science, one of the world’s top academic journals, you would be more likely to crash, not less. Talk about unintended consequences!

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