forms - Should we avoid negative words when writing error messages?

Does the use of words such as 'fail', 'wrong', 'incorrect' and 'invalid' have a sufficiently negative impact on a users frame of mind to warrant the prohibition of their inclusion in the error messages generated by typical web forms?

i.e. Should we rephrase examples like these to just use positive words?

'date entered incorrectly'

or

'failed to complete registration, please see below for invalid field entries'

(PS, the examples are there to show use of the words in an error message, not to serve as examples of error messages I would use or things that need correcting in answers, I'm not looking for advice on how to write form error messages, but for information about the effect of certain words on a users frame of mind)

Answer

You might be interested in this paper, which found that:

After the first error message, the self-appraisal of performance scores decreased in all groups.

Putting this another way: errors make people feel bad about themselves.

The paper also refers to studies by Fogg and Nass (1997) and Klein, Moon & Picard (1999), which found people who were flattered by the computer viewed the interaction as more enjoyable, and displayed greater interest in continuing.

This all seems like good evidence to support using a tone that — as much as possible — avoids being accusatory, derisive or judgemental.

Note that I haven't said "avoid negative words". This is because language is much more nuanced than that.

An error means, by definition, something isn't OK the way it currently is. In most cases, it's going to be impossible to communicate this to users without using words that convey the gap between current state and required state (e.g. "missing", "must be"). So the words we use in error messages have to be "negative" to some extent.

Similarly, the answer isn't as simple as "use positive words". "Positive" words can be patronising, vague and uninformative.

Perhaps the question you want to ask is: "what's the best way to word an error message such that the user is respected and cared for, and the desired behaviour is achieved?"