The Accent Is Always Greener

It is a long-held belief among US business school students that students with English accents get better grades on classroom participation because of the “Masterpiece Theater Effect”: To the American ear, anything said with a high-class British accent sounds more intelligent.

I never really considered the opposite. As it turns out, the Brits think that people who speak with American accents are more successful in business. I guess we can call this the “Baywatch Effect.”