We all make commitments we fail to honor. How many times have you said, ‘I’ll stick to my diet plan this month’ or ‘I’ll cut down on sugar starting today’, only to find yourself straying from these goals? While we often intend to follow through, good intentions alone aren’t sufficient to create meaningful change. However, a well-designed question might just be the key.
After analyzing over 100 studies covering 40 years of research, a team of scientists from four US universities found that asking questions is more effective than making statements when it comes to influencing your own or someone else’s behavior.
David Sprott, a co-author of the research from Washington State University, noted: ‘If you question a person about performing a future behavior, the likelihood of that behavior happening will change.’ Questions trigger a psychological response that differs from the response to statements.
This means, for example, that a sign that says, ‘Please choose healthy food options’ is less likely to influence its viewers’ dietary choices than a sign that asks, ‘Will you choose healthy food options today?’ Telling yourself ‘I will drink more water’ is less effective in changing your behavior than asking yourself, ‘Will I drink more water today?’
Remarkably, the researchers discovered that transforming a statement into a question could influence a person’s behavior for up to six months.
The question/behavior effect is particularly potent with questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
The question/behavior effect is most powerful when questions are used to encourage behavior that aligns with the receiver’s personal health goals (answering yes to the question would bring them closer to their desired fitness and nutrition objectives).
Starting the question with ‘will’ implies ownership and action, making the question/behavior effect even stronger than beginning your question with words like ‘can’ or ‘could’, which suggest capability rather than action. It’s also more effective than starting your question with ‘would’, which is conditional and implies possibility rather than probability.