Need something? Anything? A new study shows that just appending your request with “because ____” increases the likelihood you’ll get your way.

According to Marginal Revolution, behavioral scientist Ellen Langer released a study which shows adding “because” to requests — even if what follows the “because” is irrelevant or meaningless — makes people more likely to assist you. [Clusterflock]

Behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues decided to put the persuasive power of this word to the test.  In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the Xerox machine?”  Faced with the direct request to cut ahead in this line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them.  However, when the stranger made the request with a reason (“May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), almost everyone (94 percent) complied…