MIT: What We Touch Influences What We Think

I wish I could remember how many times I have found myself saying: "I wish they would do a study on that!" Wishes do come true and the Genie for this particular request is Joshua Ackerman, an assistant professor of marketing at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

According to MIT, Ackerman tested how three dimensions of touch — that of weight, texture and hardness — can unconsciously influence judgments and decisions about unrelated events, situations, and objects. The results hold implications for marketers and negotiators to job seekers and employers to everyday people who simply want to make more informed decisions.

“What we touch unconsciously influences how we think,” says Ackerman. “In situations where evaluations and decisions really matter, we need to pay attention to our physical surroundings and, in particular, how we engage these surroundings through our sense of touch.” 


The study concludes that the heavier of two of the same objects is seen to have greater importance and demands greater attention.


The study also found that "shoppers more readily understood and formed confident impressions about products with which they physically interacted."


There are several lessons to be learned from this study. Among them:

• Stationers should encourage customers to touch and hold their papers.

• Consumers should understand that a weightier paper, with a soft airy surface (Hmmmm, I wonder where I can get some of that?) will carry your message with much more gravity than lighter paper.

• Job-seekers should always print their resumes on 32-pound 100% cotton paper. Regular 20-pound paper is for the copier. Twenty-four pound is good, but 32-pound commands respect and attention.

There's another element to this story that I hadn't thought about in quite a few years. And that is how Crane's envelopes are made. You may be familiar with the way Crane stationery envelopes look and feel. They are like no other and that is on purpose. It's called Crane's Puff. Rather than pressing and compressing the envelope into shape like ordinary, skinny, unsubstantial envelopes, Crane folds its envelopes, leaving lots of air and plenty of room for your weighty messages.

It's another mark of distinction for those in the know.

NY Times Career Couch: Print Your Cover Letter!

Just a quick note to let you know about an interesting article in today's New York Times.

The newspaper's Career Couch columnist Phyllis Korkki presents some rock-solid advice to job-seekers:

A Cover Letter is Not Expendable

It's an enlightening read, especially for those who think the world revolves around ones and zeros.

Here's one real-world example if you haven't seen it already.

The Paper Resumé

Since part of my role as Crane’s historian is to tell stories, I figured this would be a good opportunity to tell one of my favorites. And, of course, it has to do with paper.


A few years ago, I was playing in a college alumni golf tournament and it began to rain. I pulled my Crane hat out of the bag to protect what little hair is left on top and my opponent, a director at one of the world’s largest banks, chimed right in: “Peter, let me tell you about Crane paper and my company.”

I was all ears.

He said for some of their best jobs, they get in as many as 5,000 resumés. Here’s how they whittle them down to get to a manageable number:

They gather up a bunch of people around a big table and hand out the resumés. They hold the cover letter up to the light. If the watermark says Crane, it goes in one pile. If it doesn’t, it goes in another pile. They keep the ones with the Crane watermark, and you can guess where the others go. Yup – File 13.

But there are still too many resumés. So, they divvy them up again and hold the cover letter up to the light. If the watermark registers correctly on the page, the resumé goes in one pile. If it doesn’t register correctly, it goes in another pile. Those who got it right are considered for an interview. Those who didn’t, get a form letter.


Here’s their reasoning: “We want to make sure that the most important thing that person did that day was to send us their resumé.”

So what’s the lesson? Actually there are several.

• Paper resumés still matter to many employers.
• The care you take to craft your presentation can give you a competitive advantage.
• The quality of the paper on which you make your presentation can give you a competitive advantage.

There are several Crane papers that are appropriate for resumés and cover letters, and you can find them here:

My favorite – and that’s another story – is Crane’s 32-pound Premium Presentation Paper. The “32 pounds” refers to the paper’s weight or heft. Don’t ask what it really means. It’s arcane paper mill speak. Copy paper is generally 20 pounds. Writing or bond paper is generally 24 pounds. Premium papers are 28 or 32 pounds. Crane’s 32-pound paper is gorgeous to look at and has a distinctive feel in the hand. If you leaf through a stack of papers – resumés perhaps – and encounter a piece of Crane’s 32-pound paper, it makes you stop and take notice. Before your prospective new employer sees your name or your qualifications, you’ve set yourself apart already.

One final thought about setting yourself apart; about differentiating yourself from the competition. Don’t forget to send a handwritten thank-you note after your interview. In this digital age, you might be tempted to send an e-mail. But stop before you hit the “Send” button. Take a few moments to write a short but sincere thank-you note. Those few moments will set you apart. If you don’t get the job, it will be for some reason other than making your best personal presentation.