# Emphatic language in prompts and overtriggering > Source-anchored research for Emphatic language in prompts and overtriggering. Run status: COMPLETED. Parent: [Instruction-file hygiene for LLM lexical tics: linting, mirroring, hook filtering](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/ai-isms-instruction-hygiene/) · 3 facets · 6 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/emphatic-language-in-prompts-and-overtriggering/ ## How it works - Anthropic states Claude Opus 4.5 and 4.6 are more responsive to the system prompt, so prompts written to reduce undertriggering may now overtrigger; the fix is to dial back aggressive language, e.g. replace 'CRITICAL: You MUST use this tool when...' with 'Use this tool when...'. (low confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices) - Anthropic also advises removing over-prompting such as 'If in doubt, use [tool]', which causes overtriggering, and says Claude 4.6 models may overtrigger on anti-laziness instructions that earlier models needed. (low confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices) ## Comparisons and alternatives - Independent evidence that emotional or emphatic framing improves accuracy is mixed: a 2026 arXiv study tests emotional framing across GPT, Llama, Qwen3 and DeepSeek on GSM8K, BBH, MedQA and others, and secondary reporting cites contradictory politeness studies (e.g. a 2025 GPT-4o result where impolite prompts scored 84.8% vs 80.8% for very polite). Effect sizes were not verified from the paper text. (low confidence) — [source](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.02236) ## Facts and statements - OpenAI's GPT-4.1 guide says all-caps or incentives like bribes or tips are generally unnecessary, recommends starting without them, and warns that existing prompts using them may make GPT-4.1 attend to them too strictly. It attributes this to GPT-4.1 following instructions more literally than predecessors. (medium confidence) — [source](https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/gpt4-1_prompting_guide) - Two vendors independently converge on the same hygiene rule: with current literal, steerable models, drop emphatic markers by default and add them back only if a specific prompt needs them. (medium confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices) - Guidance is model-scoped: the Anthropic advice targets Opus 4.5/4.6 and later; the same emphatic wording may still be needed on weaker or older models, so a lint rule should be per-model, not universal. (low confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices)