Crying Really Does Help You Get Your Own Way, Says Study

Crying doesn’t just work for babies - a study has shown that turning on the waterworks can help anyone to get what they want.

According to research published in The Journal of Applied Psychology, using tears during a negotiation can make the listener experience concern that will encourage them to give away more.

While many people would probably not choose to intentionally use tears as part of any form of negotiation, the study suggests that it could help to sway the outcome in the sobbing party’s favour.

Researchers at the ESSEC Business School in France found that tears alone were not enough to win a negotiation, but combined with the right circumstances, they upped the chances significantly.

The specific circumstances identified by the study included a context where the listener perceives the person crying as being powerless, when future interaction was anticipated and when the listener thinks of the relationship as being collaborative.

In other words, crying won’t always get you what you want but given the right circumstances, it can certainly help.

Via: ScienceAlert.com

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