题目

•Asking someone to help you out can be stressful. What if they feel like you're bothering them? Or using them? What if they say no, or worse, don't even bother responding? But according to psychologists Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, there's an easy way to get someone to give you what you need. Do something useful for them first.He calls it the rule of reciprocity. "People will help if they owe you for something you did in the past to advance their goals," he told The Harvard Business Review. For example, let's say you want a coworker to proofread a project report before you submit it to management. A few days before, consider asking that coworker if you can pick up dinner for her when you're both staying late at the office. The key part is reminding your coworker that she can return the favor. Instead of saying "no big deal" when she thanks you for grabbing an extra sandwich, Cialdini recommends saying something like, "Of course; it's what partners do for each otherCialdini says this strategy works because people across cultures learn the reciprocity norm from a young age. And it affects all kinds of interactions. In an interview with NPR, Cialdini cited a study that highlighted the role of reciprocity in tipping behavior. In one experiment, waiters gave customers a piece of candy and then spontaneously allowed them to select a second one before leaving the bill on the table. Tips increased 21%. The researchers say the reciprocity rule explains their findings—people felt obligated (有责任的) to return the act of generosity, even though they didn't specifically request that the waiter bring them candy.This strategy takes a lot of the pressure out of asking for favors. Presumably, once you help someone out, you'll feel like you deserve their help and won't worry so much about annoying them. Meanwhile, they'll probably feel like they owe you one and won't think twice about giving you what you need

•Asking someone to help you out can be stressful. What if they feel like you're bothering them? Or using them? What if they say no, or worse, don't even bother responding? But according to psychologists Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, there's an easy way to get someone to give you what you need. Do something useful for them first.He calls it the rule of reciprocity. "People will help if they owe you for something you did in the past to advance their goals," he told The Harvard Business Review. For example, let's say you want a coworker to proofread a project report before you submit it to management. A few days before, consider asking that coworker if you can pick up dinner for her when you're both staying late at the office. The key part is reminding your coworker that she can return the favor. Instead of saying "no big deal" when she thanks you for grabbing an extra sandwich, Cialdini recommends saying something like, "Of course; it's what partners do for each otherCialdini says this strategy works because people across cultures learn the reciprocity norm from a young age. And it affects all kinds of interactions. In an interview with NPR, Cialdini cited a study that highlighted the role of reciprocity in tipping behavior. In one experiment, waiters gave customers a piece of candy and then spontaneously allowed them to select a second one before leaving the bill on the table. Tips increased 21%. The researchers say the reciprocity rule explains their findings—people felt obligated (有责任的) to return the act of generosity, even though they didn't specifically request that the waiter bring them candy.This strategy takes a lot of the pressure out of asking for favors. Presumably, once you help someone out, you'll feel like you deserve their help and won't worry so much about annoying them. Meanwhile, they'll probably feel like they owe you one and won't think twice about giving you what you need

题目解答

答案

本文主要讲述了互惠原则在请求帮助时的应用。文章首先提出了请求帮助可能带来的压力，然后引出了心理学家Robert Cialdini的互惠原则，即先为他人做一些有用的事情，然后再请求他们的帮助。文章通过具体的例子，如为同事买晚餐，以及服务员给顾客糖果的实验，来说明互惠原则的有效性。最后，文章指出，通过先帮助他人，可以减轻请求帮助时的压力，同时也能使他人更愿意提供帮助。

解析

步骤 1：理解互惠原则
互惠原则是指人们倾向于回报他人的好意或帮助。心理学家Robert Cialdini在他的著作《影响力：说服的心理学》中提到，通过先为他人做一些有用的事情，可以更容易地请求他们的帮助。这是因为人们会感到有义务回报过去的帮助。

步骤 2：应用互惠原则的例子
文章中提到了一个具体的例子：如果你想让一位同事在你提交项目报告给管理层之前帮你校对，你可以在几天前提出为她买晚餐。当她感谢你时，不要说“没什么大不了的”，而是说“当然，这是合作伙伴应该做的”。这样可以提醒她，她可以回报你的帮助。

步骤 3：互惠原则在其他情境中的应用
文章还提到了服务员给顾客糖果的实验。服务员在给顾客账单之前，先给顾客一块糖果，然后允许他们再选一块糖果。结果，小费增加了21%。这说明，即使顾客没有特别要求服务员给他们糖果，他们也会感到有义务回报这种善意。

步骤 4：互惠原则的普遍性和影响
互惠原则在不同文化中都存在，并且影响着各种互动。通过先帮助他人，可以减轻请求帮助时的压力，同时也能使他人更愿意提供帮助。