“Thanks in advance” – The negative effect of a polite phrase on compliance with a request

Lisa Bruttel, Nithammer Juri () and Stolley Florian ()
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Nithammer Juri: University of Potsdam, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, August-Bebel-Str. 89, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
Stolley Florian: University of Potsdam, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, August-Bebel-Str. 89, 14482 Potsdam, Germany

German Economic Review, 2022, vol. 23, issue 1, 61-78

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: compliance behavior; gratitude; reciprocity; experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Working Paper: ”Thanks in Advance”: The Negative Effect of a Polite Phrase on Compliance with a Request (2019)
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DOI: 10.1515/ger-2021-0020

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