golfrewind.com

I thought the following article was interesting, in the context of the equipment reviews and advice found on this site. I am posting the link and an excerpt, without further comment.

Negativity May Change Your Mind

Quote:

Negativity May Change Your Mind Oct. 5, 2007 -- Negativity may be catching among consumers, especially among those with a personal connection, a new study shows. The researchers, who work at Indiana University, make three main points in their paper: People tend to abandon their positive views of a new product when they find out that others dislike that product. People become even more negative about a new product when they find out that people they were about to meet with dislike that product. The flip side isn't true: Positive views aren't as persuasive.

For me, I could care less if someone else gives a golf item a negative review. If I'm happy with it, that's all that matters. If others don't like it, that means I get a chance to try something new out cheaper.

Of course they are:

YUMMY!

This is definitely interesting, great find ss!

I will say that I usually do look at the negative reviews a lot more often than the positive ones, simply because usually the negative reviews seem much better reasoned out and (goodness, in light of the linked research, this sure feels like the wrong word, but...) honest.

I just don't get much out of the reviews that read like they were written by a teenage girl after the cool boy in class wrote her a note: "Oh my gawd! This new driver is the bestest ever!!!@!!!2! I normally only average 358 yards on my drivers, but this new driver is amazing, I can now hit it 365 yards!!!!11111 I know that said that that last one was the bestest ever just 6.4 milliseconds ago, but this one, this is the bestest ever!@!@!$!@ And you can trust me because I am a +9 handicapper"

OK, that may be a little over the top, but we all know that there are some pretty useless positive reviews out there. Also, I find it at least a tiny bit suspicious, considering how often it seems that golfers buy new equipment, that it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% of the posted reviews give 100% scores. If all this equipment was so perfect, getting 100% scores, why are so many people switching so often? All in all, it ads up that I just don't go to the positive reviews very often, and like to read the negative ones first.

From the linked article ""Usually negative information is seen as more diagnostic ... [It] assumes a deeper level of knowledge," Adam Duhachek, PhD, an assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University. Heh heh, that's pretty much what I just said, I think.

Nothing like the honeymoon...

I am with Bignose; I look at all of the negative and mixed reviews as they are more likely to reveal something...generally I use reviews to narrow things down to what I ought to try...

You're right, its not. But folks in marketing would like you to believe it is (on anything).

If someones personal happiness is to fulfill a desire they didnt have until they read a article/review then let them. The more 'sheep' out there the better for the rest of us with a mind of our own.

the greater question is, "How can you be sure your mind is, indeed, your own?"