Copy of 10.5.5. // To Ask or Not to Ask? // P1

Poll

It’s easier to ask my peers/classmates for help than adults.

• Agree

• Disagree

Poll

Asking for help is hard.

• Agree

• Disagree

Poll

I appreciate it when people ask me for help.

• Agree

• Disagree

Poll

I know where to go if I need help.

• Agree

• Disagree

Poll

I usually get what I need when I ask for help.

• Agree

• Disagree

​Scenario 1:
In a study where people on the street in New York City needed to ask someone else to use a cell phone, people thought they’d have to ask twice as many people for help than they actually did.

"Participants were initially horrified at the prospect of going out and asking people for such things," Lake said. "But they'd bound back in to the lab afterward with big smiles, saying, 'I can't believe how nice people were.’” (Rigoglioso, 2008).

​Scenario 2:
In a study on measuring how people ask for help, employees at a Leukemia and Lymphoma charity predicted they would have to ask 50% more people to volunteer than they actually needed to ask - people said yes to volunteering more quickly than they thought.

They were also asking people for donations, and underestimated the average donation they'd receive by $17.

"People seem to miscalculate how willing others are to say yes to direct requests (like donating money or volunteering), even in a case like this where they're open to asking strangers and the donation request is significant—anywhere from $30 to more than $1,000," Flynn said. (Rigoglioso, 2008).

​Scenario 3:
Researchers tried to understand why people think others will help them significantly less than they’re actually willing to – they found that people underestimate the willingness of others to help them out.

They found this is the case because people who need help struggle to put themselves in the shoes of the potential helper (use empathy to understand how the potential helper may be seeing this person and their problem).

Studies show that people think if they say no to someone who needs help that it makes them look bad. There’s a widespread social pressure to be helpful and kind, which ultimately benefits everyone. (Rigoglioso, 2008).

Open Ended

Write down what stood out to you the most from what your group shared. 

Open Ended

Were there any themes that emerged?

Open Ended

Did any of what you saw/heard surprise you?

Open Ended

Do the studies match your own experience with asking for help?

Open Ended

Does the way you feel about asking for help depend on the circumstance? Your age?

Open Ended

What are some unhelpful things that we tell ourselves when we ask for help?