Even in music, though, we found the same result. Music reviews that used more present-tense verbs were more persuasive.

Indeed, when we analyzed the movies, we found that those which interspersed highly positive moments with strongly negative ones were more successful. Movies that repeatedly traversed from the lowest of emotional lows to the highest of emotional highs, and back again, were liked more.

Call it country trap, hick-hop, or anything else you want, but “Old Town Road” is clearly atypical. This genre-flouting, boundary-busting tune defies classification. Too rap to be a country tune and too country to be a rap song, it blends conventions to create something new and different.

But while the song itself is atypical, the reason for its success was far from it. In fact, its success was downright predictable. Its unusual nature was exactly why it became a hit.

Using similar language seems to pay off at the office, but using different language makes songs more successful. So when is similarity good and when is difference better?

When considering new music, however, people like stimulation, so difference is better. Atypical movies are also more successful, and the same may be true for other cultural products, like musicals. One reason Hamilton was such a big hit was that its style diverged from what theatergoers were used to.