The Most Persuasive Word in the Dictionary
Give a reason to get results
The study of psychology is great for many reasons, but the main reason I became interested in it was because I wanted to learn how to become more persuasive. And the more I learn, the more I’m convinced that being a master of persuasion is the closest a person can get to having a legitimate superpower.
An aspect I find deeply satisfying about learning something new is that moment when you have a simple realization that simultaneously unlocks a massive amount of value. The realization need not be as complex as frame control or the high ground maneuver, which can take a lifetime to master. In some cases, all you need to remember is a single word. A word which, if used in the proper context, will make you feel like a Jedi. In this particular case, I would even contend that this word is the linguistic equivalent of a nuclear weapon. So use with caution.
With that hyperbolic reader bait out of the way, the word is… Because.
The power of the word “because” was discovered in 1978 by Harvard professor Ellen Langer. If you read the entire paper, she essentially obliterates the notion that humans behave rationally. Through a series of experiments, she proves that whenever a “because” is appended to a request, compliance increases by over 50 percent…
