The Ben Franklin Effect

It’s normal to feel anxious or uncomfortable when asking others for favors. Human nature makes us apprehensive of burdening others with our problems. We fear that asking others for help may cause them to dislike us. 

Benjamin Franklin didn’t think this way; he practiced the exact opposite. At one point in Franklin’s political career, he was tasked with winning over another statesman, a statesman who adamantly opposed Franklin’s policies. 

This particular politician owned a very rare copy of a book. Franklin, who loved to read, wrote the politician a letter asking to borrow the book. The man said yes, and within a few days of reading, Franklin kindly returned the book with a note thanking him. After this exchange, the politician was noticeably kinder and more accommodating to Franklin. The two men eventually became lifelong friends. 

Franklin strongly believed that asking someone for a favor made people like him more.

Check out The Focus Project to learn more about about how asking for favors has been proven to make people like you more.

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