Get People to Do You Tiny Favors by Giving Them a Reason – Any Reason
For the most part, people don’t mind helping each other. However, if you are asking for a favor, it never hurts to explain why. In fact, according to classic research, your reason doesn’t even have to be good.
The study, led by Ellen J. Langer and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 1978, is “old but rewarding.” This suggests that people are more likely to provide you with small favors if you provide a reason, no matter how obvious. For example, study participants were more likely to let someone cut off the line to use an office copier 90% of the time if the cutter had a reason. Even if the reason was “… because I need to make copies.” This can work for several reasons. First, most likely people are not listening to you. They hear the word “because” and automatically assume that you have a good reason otherwise you would not ask. Second, it could be out of pity or because they don’t want to argue about how ridiculous your reasoning is. In any case, you can provide a reason when asking for a service, whatever it may be.
Thoughtlessness of supposedly deliberate actions: the role of “placebic” information in interpersonal interactions. | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology via Science of Us