Why does adding the word 'because' to a dental request boost compliance dramatically? Ellen Langer's 1970s research at Harvard documented this. When researchers asked to cut the copy-machine line without giving a reason, 60 percent of subjects complied. When they said 'may I use it because I'm in a rush,' 94 percent complied. Astonishingly, when they said 'may I use it because I need to make copies' (a nonsense reason), 93 percent still complied. The word 'because' itself triggers a reflex of compliance. Robert Cialdini elaborated on this in Influence: people assume that when 'because' is present, there must be a [...]

Why does adding the word 'because' to a dental request boost compliance dramatically? Ellen Langer's 1970s research at Harvard documented this. When researchers asked to cut the copy-machine line without giving a reason, 60 percent of subjects complied. When they said 'may I use it because I'm in a rush,' 94 percent complied. Astonishingly, when they said 'may I use it because I need to make copies' (a nonsense reason), 93 percent still complied. The word 'because' itself triggers a reflex of compliance. Robert Cialdini elaborated on this in Influence: people assume that when 'because' is present, there must be a [...]

Why does adding the word 'because' to a dental request boost compliance dramatically? Ellen Langer's 1970s research at Harvard documented this. When researchers asked to cut the copy-machine line without giving a reason, 60 percent of subjects complied. When they said 'may I use it because I'm in a rush,' 94 percent complied. Astonishingly, when they said 'may I use it because I need to make copies' (a nonsense reason), 93 percent still complied. The word 'because' itself triggers a reflex of compliance. Robert Cialdini elaborated on this in Influence: people assume that when 'because' is present, there must be a [...]