Research shows you can use an everyday word to increase the chances of getting what you want

Flickr/Barney Moss

Maybe it's a raise or time off from work.

Maybe it's simply getting your roommate to chip in and do the dishes very once in a while.

Whatever it is that you want from someone else, can be yours — if you word it correctly.

And the power lies in the word "because."

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology delved into the effect that the word can have when making requests from others.

To find out, the researchers had people attempt to cut others in line by using three different requests:

"Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the xerox machine?"

"Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the xerox machine, because I have to make copies?"

"Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?"

What they found was that people were much more likely to allow others to cut them in line when the word "because" was used, as opposed to when no reason was given at all.

You don't have a convincing reason you say? Well lucky for you, these results rang true even when the given reason was ridiculous. For example, "May I please cut in line because I need to get to the front sooner?" worked just as well (with 93% of people saying "yes").

Using the word "because" in the plea seemed to trigger something in people that then caused them to grant the request. "The researchers hypothesize that people go on 'automatic' behavior or 'mindlessness' as a form of a heuristic, or short-cut," wrote Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D. 

A heuristic is an approach to a problem or discovery that employs a practical method, which may not be optimal, but is sufficient for the immediate goal, similar to a "trial by error" or "using a rule-of-thumb" mentality. "And hearing the word 'because' followed by a reason (no matter how lame the reason is), causes us to comply," added Weinschenk.

In his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," Robert Cialdini describes this as "request + reason," arguing that the combination of the two significantly increases the chances that your request will be obliged. "A well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do," wrote Cialdini.

But, this only works if your request is a relatively small one or in this case, you need to make 5 copies). When the researchers upped the ante to 20 pages, people only complied when the reasoning was logical, i.e the "because I’m in a rush" reason resulted in compliance. "Because I need to make copies" no longer held enough clout to convince people to let someone cut in front of them.

So, when the stakes are low — there are only a few dishes in the sink or you're only asking for two days off — use the word "because" followed by pretty much any reason you can pull out of your a-- and your wish is granted.

But when the stakes are higher — the entire sink is filled to the brim or you're looking to take off on a two-week European tour — "because" needs to be followed up by a rational, convincing reason as to why.

NOW WATCH: People with these personality traits have more and better sex