Negotiate a Higher Salary With a Clever Joke
Many of us avoid negotiations because they seem so complex and confrontational. However, you do not want to waste this money. One easy, non-confrontational way to bargain over wages? Make a funny joke.
In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, University of Idaho professor Todd J. Thorsteinson conducted a series of mock conversations and found that when subjects joked about a ridiculously high amount, those subjects negotiated more successfully . When asked about the starting salary in the negotiations, the group of “jokers” simply said something like: “I would like to get a salary of $ 100,000, but in fact I’m just looking for something fair.” Specifically, they were offered an average starting salary of $ 35,385, compared with $ 32,463 in the control group.
The doc explains that this works thanks to the binding. Anchoring, as we told you earlier , is a cognitive bias in which we rely too heavily on one piece of information to make decisions. Numerous studies (such as this 2015 Columbia University study) have shown that anchoring plays a large role in negotiations. In fact, this is the reason why in some states it is illegal for employers to ask candidates about their current salary – if the salary is low, it may serve as an unfair anchor.
A funny joke works the same way: you obviously don’t expect a six-figure salary when your earning potential is around $ 35,000, but presenting that figure as a “joke” is a clever way to throw that anchor. It goes without saying that your experience will vary depending on this, but this is an interesting (and slightly wicked) approach to consider during your next negotiations. And you can read about the study here .