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Lisa Verena Bruttel
;
Juri Nithammer
;
Florian Stolley

“thanks in advance” - the negative effect of a polite phrase on compliance with a request

This paper studies the effect of the commonly used phrase "thanks in advance" on compliance with a small request. In a controlled laboratory experiment we ask participants to give a detailed answer to an open question. The treatment variable is whether or not they see the phrase "thanks in advance." Our participants react to the treatment by exerting less effort in answering the request even though they perceive the phrase as polite.

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Suggested Citation

Bruttel, Lisa Verena; Nithammer, Juri; Stolley, Florian (2021): “Thanks in Advance” - the Negative Effect of a Polite Phrase on Compliance with a Request. Version: 1. German Economic Review. Dataset. http://dx.doi.org/10.15456/ger.2021230.122923

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