Copy of 10.5.5. // To Ask or Not to Ask? // P1

​Scenario 1:
In a study where people on the street in New York City needed to ask someone else to use a cell phone, people thought they’d have to ask twice as many people for help than they actually did.

"Participants were initially horrified at the prospect of going out and asking people for such things," Lake said. "But they'd bound back in to the lab afterward with big smiles, saying, 'I can't believe how nice people were.’” (Rigoglioso, 2008).

​Scenario 2:
In a study on measuring how people ask for help, employees at a Leukemia and Lymphoma charity predicted they would have to ask 50% more people to volunteer than they actually needed to ask - people said yes to volunteering more quickly than they thought.

They were also asking people for donations, and underestimated the average donation they'd receive by $17.

"People seem to miscalculate how willing others are to say yes to direct requests (like donating money or volunteering), even in a case like this where they're open to asking strangers and the donation request is significant—anywhere from $30 to more than $1,000," Flynn said. (Rigoglioso, 2008).

​Scenario 3:
Researchers tried to understand why people think others will help them significantly less than they’re actually willing to – they found that people underestimate the willingness of others to help them out.

They found this is the case because people who need help struggle to put themselves in the shoes of the potential helper (use empathy to understand how the potential helper may be seeing this person and their problem).

Studies show that people think if they say no to someone who needs help that it makes them look bad. There’s a widespread social pressure to be helpful and kind, which ultimately benefits everyone. (Rigoglioso, 2008).