By listing an additional major with a lower grade point average alongside a first major with a high GPA, one might decrease the overall impressiveness of his achievements, according to a study of the University of Michigan (UI) and the University of Haifa.

When a package of information is presented by itself, adding mildly favorable information to highly favorable information detracts from the desired impression, the researchers say. However, when the same package is presented side-by-side with another package of information, the same mildly favorable information helps the desired impression.

In the research, the researchers showed that people "average" the information in a package, such as a resume, when it is by itself and "add" the information when it is side-by-side other packages, such as other resumes. Consequently, mildly favorable information hurts evaluations in the former, but helps them in the latter.

And this effect is not just about resumes but applies to all sorts of other packages of information, the researchers say.

For example, when writing a paper, should one include mildly strong arguments or just stick to the strongest argument? When listing a reason why people should buy your product, should you include mildly favorable reasons or just the strongest reasons? The answer depends on whether the package of information is evaluated under a separate or joint evaluation, the researchers say.

The researchers hold that understanding how to manage impressions is important at multiple levels of organizational decision-making, from providing incentives to employees to evaluating job applicants.

The study has been published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.