Increase Framing in Science Communication Linked to Stronger Public Impact

Recent experimental research has examined how the way scientific findings are presented can influence public perception, focusing on the difference between framing results as increases or decreases.

Studies led by Courtney Lee, Christopher Bechler, and Zakary Tormala investigated whether describing scientific outcomes as increases rather than decreases affects how people interpret the results. The experiments found that participants perceived effects as more substantial when findings were framed as increases.

The research also showed that people rated increase-framed findings as more important and more deserving of funding and publication compared to equivalent results described as decreases. This pattern was consistent across multiple experimental settings.

Participants in the studies also judged increase-framed findings to be clearer and easier to visualize. The clarity associated with increase framing contributed to the perception of greater magnitude in the results.

What the numbers show

• Nearly 74,000 journal articles were analyzed for framing patterns
• Increase framing appeared more frequently than decrease framing
• Articles using increase framing received more citations

One experiment involved participants who received a $20 bonus and were asked to donate to a nonprofit organization. When the scientific finding was presented as increasing hiring chances, participants donated more than when the same result was described as decreasing hiring chances.

An analysis of published articles in behavioral and general science journals found that increase framing is used more often than decrease framing. The review also indicated that articles employing increase framing tend to receive a higher number of citations.

The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General in October 2025. The study was conducted by a team including Courtney Lee, a doctoral student, Christopher Bechler, now an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame, and Zakary Tormala, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

These findings highlight how the presentation of scientific outcomes can shape perceptions of importance, clarity, and impact within both the research community and the broader public.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.