Ultimate Trick To Getting Minnesotans To Do You A Favor

Have you ever been standing in a line waiting for something and you're pressed for time? This usually happens to me at lunch time. I've waited in a really long line at a fast food place only to realize that the person in front of my is ordering lunch for their entire office. I only have so much time.

A recent study found there's a trick you can use to get people to say yes to you when you ask them for something. All you need to do is give them a reason for why they should help.

Researchers tested out this method at the Harvard Library. They asked people for favors in two slightly different ways.

First, they said, "May I use the Xerox machine?" About 60 percent of people let them skip the line.

The next time, researchers asked the same question but this time they gave reason. They said, "May I use the Xerox machine, because I'm in a rush?" Nearly 35 percent more people let them cut in line. That's a 94 percent success rate.

Researchers also found that this same trick works even if you give a bogus reason. They asked the same question but this time they gave a slightly different reason. The reason was, "because I have to make copies." This seems redundant because they were obviously standing in line to make copies. Despite giving bad reasoning, 93 percent of people still let them cut in line.

(James Clear)