Trust ·

Asking for advice makes you look more competent

What they found

People who asked for advice were judged MORE competent by the person they asked - the opposite of what askers feared. Advisers felt affirmed, and the effect grew when the task was difficult.

How they know

In a series of experiments, people worked on difficult brain teasers with a partner who either asked them for advice or didn't, then rated that partner's competence; other studies measured what advice-seekers expected - they predicted looking weaker.

What it means for you

"How would you approach this?" costs nothing, gives you the other person's best thinking, and raises you in their eyes. Ask the person whose respect you want.

The limits

The boost lands mainly in the eyes of the person you ask and holds for difficult matters; on easy tasks it disappears, and asking someone without relevant expertise can backfire.

Source: Management Science (2015) - read the full study

This is a short takeaway in our own words, not a reproduction of the study. For the method, the sample and the caveats, read the original. Mind lives inside the Booking Minds app under the brain icon, where you can save and share each piece.

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