Should Experts Practice What They Preach?

New research shows a snag in leading by your own example.

- Benoît Monin

You’ve heard of practicing what you preach. But what about preaching what you practice? It seems common sense that following this advice would make experts more compelling. However, according to new research from Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Department of Psychology, it can backfire for physicians working with overweight patients.

A new study shows that doctors who talk about their love of fitness or describe their exercise regimen and diet on their professional website (e.g., “In my spare time I train for marathons and enjoy cooking vegan meals”) may turn off prospective patients who are struggling with their weight rather than inspire them.

Counterintuitive, perhaps. The key, says Stanford GSB professor Benoît Monin and postdoctoral fellow Lauren Howe, is that doctors who emphasize their fitness seem like they may be more critical of patients who don’t live up to the same high standards. And it’s not that doctors actually devalue patients; it’s something overweight patients fear might happen to them when seeking out a new doctor, especially a doctor who touts his or her own exemplary health habits in their literature or online. This is called anticipated devaluation, and it can make overweight patients shy away from doctors who emphasize that they practice what they preach.

Moreover, the researchers note, when patients feel devalued, they may seek care elsewhere or delay seeking it altogether to the detriment of their long-term health.