People say yes far more often than you expect
What they found
People asking strangers for a favor underestimated by about half how many would say yes. Getting help was far easier than everyone predicted.
How they know
Participants had to ask real strangers for real favors - borrow a phone, fill in a questionnaire, walk them to a campus building - after first predicting how many people they would need to ask. On average, predictions ran about double the reality.
What it means for you
The main cost of asking is in your head. When you need something - help, an introduction, a meeting - the odds are literally better than you think.
The limits
Small, low-cost favors between strangers, asked face to face - over e-mail the bias reverses and people overestimate their odds; cultures also differ in how hard it is to refuse.
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.