Reinforcements: How To Get People To Help You

Social psychologist Grant (associate director, Columbia Business Sch.'s Motivation Science Ctr.; global director of research and development, NeuroLeadership Inst.; Nine Things Successful People Do Differently) directs her attention to asking for help in this new book. Grant acknowledges that such a move is extremely difficult; research indicates that most of us think asking for assistance makes us appear weak and less likeable and that everyone we ask will say no. Results from Grant's research and that of colleagues indicate these assumptions are incorrect. Humans are wired to assist one another and in fact, if we turn down a request for help, we usually feel quite uncomfortable. But as Grant says, knowing whom to ask, how to ask, and the underlying psychological principles involved in the exchange can make all the difference in our willingness to seek help.