"Because" justification
Also known as: Reason-giving effect
What it is
People are more willing to comply when a request comes with a reason, even a meaningless one ("because I need to"). The word "because" does persuasive work on its own.
Example In Ellen Langer's photocopier study, "Can I go first because I need to make copies?" worked almost as well as a real reason.
Related
Appears in
References
- Wikipedia: "Because" justification en.wikipedia.org
- The 99 thinking errors in Rolf Dobelli's The Art of Thinking Clearly en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: List of cognitive biases en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Cognitive bias codex en.wikipedia.org
More in “What it means: finding patterns and stories”
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