You Really Should Just Say No to That Invitation, Study Finds

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 11:44:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.sciencealert.com/you-really-should-just-say-no-to-that-invitation-study-finds>

'Which is worse: Attending a party you don't want to attend, or staying home
and disappointing a friend?

A lot depends on context, of course, but according to a new study, declining an
invitation doesn't typically bring the social backlash invitees may expect.

"I was once invited to an event that I absolutely did not want to attend, but I
attended anyway because I was nervous that the person who invited me would be
upset if I did not – and that appears to be a common experience," says lead
author Julian Givi, a psychologist at West Virginia University.

"Our research shows, however, that the negative ramifications of saying no are
much less severe than we expect," Givi says.

In a pilot study, more than three-quarters of respondents reported having
accepted an invitation they would rather decline to avoid offending the person
who invited them.

Hoping to shed light on that rationale, the researchers – Givi and co-author
Colleen Kirk, an associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology –
conducted five experiments with more than 2,000 participants.'

Via Rixty Dixet.

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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