Dr. Sunita Sah

So we don't want to insinuate that, for example, our advisors, our co-workers, or even our friends and our family are not trustworthy, that they're incompetent or they're biased or even corrupt. And this anxiety increases the pressure to comply with another person.

We had a middle-aged white man go up to passengers, just over 250 passengers, to ask them to fill out a very short survey. So it was an innocuous survey just asking them, was the ferry running on time? How clean is the ferry? How many people are you traveling with? And for filling out this survey, they would get $5 in cash. So people agreed to fill out this survey.

We had a middle-aged white man go up to passengers, just over 250 passengers, to ask them to fill out a very short survey. So it was an innocuous survey just asking them, was the ferry running on time? How clean is the ferry? How many people are you traveling with? And for filling out this survey, they would get $5 in cash. So people agreed to fill out this survey.

We had a middle-aged white man go up to passengers, just over 250 passengers, to ask them to fill out a very short survey. So it was an innocuous survey just asking them, was the ferry running on time? How clean is the ferry? How many people are you traveling with? And for filling out this survey, they would get $5 in cash. So people agreed to fill out this survey.

And once they had finished the survey, the man asked them, well, you know, I can give you the $5 as promised, or I can enter you into this lottery, which pays out somewhere between $0 and $10, but the average payment is usually less than $5.

And once they had finished the survey, the man asked them, well, you know, I can give you the $5 as promised, or I can enter you into this lottery, which pays out somewhere between $0 and $10, but the average payment is usually less than $5.

And once they had finished the survey, the man asked them, well, you know, I can give you the $5 as promised, or I can enter you into this lottery, which pays out somewhere between $0 and $10, but the average payment is usually less than $5.

pretty much everyone went for the cash. Only 8% chose the lottery.

pretty much everyone went for the cash. Only 8% chose the lottery.

pretty much everyone went for the cash. Only 8% chose the lottery.

Exactly, yeah. So it really shows that the preference for nearly everyone was the $5 cash, you know, the certain $5 bill. But when the man gave advice, I think you should go for the lottery, that went up to 20%.

Exactly, yeah. So it really shows that the preference for nearly everyone was the $5 cash, you know, the certain $5 bill. But when the man gave advice, I think you should go for the lottery, that went up to 20%.

Exactly, yeah. So it really shows that the preference for nearly everyone was the $5 cash, you know, the certain $5 bill. But when the man gave advice, I think you should go for the lottery, that went up to 20%.

But even more surprising, there was one condition where the man had to reveal his ulterior motive for recommending the lottery, that he would receive a bonus, a commission, if you took the lottery. And so in that way, he was disclosing his conflict of interest, much like Dan, my financial advisor, had disclosed to me.

But even more surprising, there was one condition where the man had to reveal his ulterior motive for recommending the lottery, that he would receive a bonus, a commission, if you took the lottery. And so in that way, he was disclosing his conflict of interest, much like Dan, my financial advisor, had disclosed to me.

But even more surprising, there was one condition where the man had to reveal his ulterior motive for recommending the lottery, that he would receive a bonus, a commission, if you took the lottery. And so in that way, he was disclosing his conflict of interest, much like Dan, my financial advisor, had disclosed to me.

In that condition, compliance with the lottery advice went up to 42%. It more than doubled the advice alone.

In that condition, compliance with the lottery advice went up to 42%. It more than doubled the advice alone.

In that condition, compliance with the lottery advice went up to 42%. It more than doubled the advice alone.

That's right. And people are suspicious. They trust the advice less. And some even said that they like the man less because of that. But they still went along with it. And the reason is insinuation anxiety. They didn't want the man to know that they trusted his advice less.