Mind & behavior · 2015
Does asking for advice make you seem less capable?
Not necessarily: in this research, people who sought advice were seen as more capable than those who did not. The pattern depended on how difficult the task was, who was asked, and that person's expertise. The abstract does not say who participated or how large the differences were.
Details
The research found that people hesitate to ask for advice because they fear looking incapable. Yet its central finding pointed in the opposite direction: seeking advice could improve others' judgments of a person's competence.
The conditions mattered. Advice-seekers were judged more capable when the task was difficult rather than easy, when they asked the person making the judgment rather than someone else, and when they asked an expert rather than a nonexpert or sought no advice at all. These findings do not mean that asking anyone for advice will always improve your image.
The abstract reports judgments of competence, not improvements in actual ability. It does not describe the study procedures, participant characteristics, sample size, or size of the effects, so it cannot establish how broadly or strongly the pattern applies.
What do you think?
Good conversations begin with curiosity.
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