Struth M8! Research Reckons Aussie Slang Makes Ya Heaps More Likeable

We know you’re ‘up the creek’ this arvo, but the blokes and sheila’s over’ere at TheVine have some bloody rip-snorter news that’ll have ya yellin’ ‘bewty m8′ louder than a flamin’ galah.

Some true-blue Aussie legends at the Australian National University Research School of Psychology have concluded some fair dinkum science that suggests the use of Aussie slang increases your likability. So, if you’re looking to meet some new folk down at your local watering hole tonight, look no further than rippin’ out a few a Aussie pearlers.

But in all seriousness… this is in fact a thing.

Dr Evan Kidd, from the ANU Research School of Psychology claims that using Australian slang words like ‘ambo‘, ‘uggies‘ or ‘mobes‘ increases your likability among fellow Australians.

Watch the full video below…

According to Dr Evan Kidd

“Using slang seems to promote common ground between the speakers,”

“People use them if you want to indicate social closeness with each other.”

For the study, participants interacted with an actor who either would or wouldn’t use a series of shortened Australian slang terms. Participants were then asked to rate how much they liked the actor.

“We found that if the actor used the slang, the participant liked them more,” Dr Kidd said.

The same experiment was then conducted with an Australian-raised actor of Asian descent, who would use either an Australian accent or a foreign one.

“If she used slang in her Australian English accent, they liked her more. However, if she used slang in a foreign accent it didn’t change the amount they liked her,” he said.

Dr Kidd said the results suggest slang words only have positive effects if you are a member of Australian culture, as indicated by your accent.

The results are part of a series of studies that have also looked at the generational change in the way Australians use slang.

Dr Kidd said older Australians are likely to shorten words with an ‘ie’ sound, or an ‘o’. For example ‘truck driver’ becomes ‘truckie’ and ‘ambulance’ becomes ‘ambo’.

This contrasts with younger Australians who will clip words to the first one or two syllables, or shorten with an ‘s’ sound. For example ‘mobile phone’ becomes ‘mobes’, and ‘maybe’ becomes ‘maybes’.

The good news is, you’re probably using a shit load more slang than you even realise. The blokes

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Header image sourced via: Hello Australia (Queensland, Australia) / Story Sourced Via ANU