digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: To seem more likeable, apologize for something outside your control, such as the weather, even when it isn't your fault. In a Harvard Business School study, people were far more willing to lend their phone to a stranger who first apologized about the rain.
Key Points
- Researchers from Harvard Business School tested likeability by approaching people in the street during rain and asking to borrow their mobile phone.
- When researchers did not mention the rain, they were offered the phone only 9% of the time.
- When they said "I'm sorry about the rain," the offer rate rose to 47%.
- The speaker's explanation is that apologizing for something beyond your control makes you seem especially trustworthy and caring.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Next time you want to be liked, apologize for something outside your control, such as the weather or a transport delay, even though it is not your fault.
- The example phrasing used in the study was "I'm sorry about the rain."
- The study was conducted during rain, so the apology was tied to a visible, shared circumstance.
- The video reports only the offer rates (9% without the apology, 47% with it) and does not describe sample size or other study conditions.
- The advice is drawn from a single study described in the video, so it should be read as a reported finding rather than a guaranteed result.
Bottom Line
A brief, low-cost apology about an uncontrollable situation can noticeably increase how willing strangers are to help you, according to the study cited.
