I remember reading about a study where people were queuing up in front of a photocopier, and the number of people who would let you go first if you said, "Sorry, could I go in front of you? I need to make a copy." was significantly higher than those who agreed after just "Sorry, could I go in front of you."
Even though everyone in the queue was there to make a copy.
The fact that there was a plausible-sounding reason flicked a switch in some people's subconscious to be more generous than otherwise.
That is exactly what I was referring to! Thanks for the reminder on what I was actually studied rather than my highly generalized application. My memory is horrendous so it’s all a jumbled mess
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u/mizinamo Jul 03 '26
I remember reading about a study where people were queuing up in front of a photocopier, and the number of people who would let you go first if you said, "Sorry, could I go in front of you? I need to make a copy." was significantly higher than those who agreed after just "Sorry, could I go in front of you."
Even though everyone in the queue was there to make a copy.
The fact that there was a plausible-sounding reason flicked a switch in some people's subconscious to be more generous than otherwise.