Need to solve a tough problem? A study published online February 11 in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests you are more likely to succeed if you solve it on another person’s be­half. Psychologists asked 137 students to picture either themselves or a stranger stuck in a tower and to think of a way to escape using only a rope that did not reach the ground. Of the students who imagined a stranger in the tower, 66 percent found the solution—divide the rope lengthwise and tie the pieces together—compared with 48 percent of those who pictured themselves in the tower. Co-author Evan Polman of New York University says one implication is that if we imagine that our problems belong to someone else, we might find better solutions.

This article was originally published with the title Can I Help You?.

8 Comments

1. 1. jchamb337 10:27 AM 8/13/11

   It's "May I help you".

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2. 2. wolfkiss in reply to jchamb337 02:27 PM 8/13/11

   It depends. "May I help you?" is asking for permission, whereas "Can I help you?" is asking if it is possible to help regardless of the feelings of the person being helped. For example, "May I go to the bathroom?" is generally better than saying "Can I go to the bathroom?", because we all generally have the capacity to go to the bathroom unless one is physically restrained or debilitated. The former is asking for permission, while the latter is asking whether or not it is possible at all for one to relieve oneself.
   
   In the context above, "Can I help you?" works well enough as the article is about the capacity to help, not whether it is appropriate to help.

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3. 3. quincykim 05:32 PM 8/13/11

   In which case it is really not meant for the ears of the second person, who might might truthfully but sarcastically reply, "I don't know, can you?"

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4. 4. patmcgee 02:16 PM 8/14/11

   Based on reading only the abstract of the paper referred to, I disagree with the headline and reporting. The abstract said that people came up with more creative solutions. It didn't say they were more likely to succeed. I see a big difference between these two statements. In some problem domains, creativity can be an important part of success. In others, much less so. I think you way over-generalized.

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5. 5. finch in reply to patmcgee 08:03 PM 8/14/11

   I don't think you read the abstract carefully enough:
   "Participants deciding for others were more likely to solve the problem"
   
   http://psp.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/02/11/0146167211398362

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6. 6. OXYMAN 10:14 PM 8/15/11

   So true!! I absolutely agree.

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7. 7. OXYMAN in reply to OXYMAN 10:16 PM 8/15/11

   ..especially if we see ourselves a physically challenged or not as strong as others; .. ie) climbing I cannot do.

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8. 8. Maverick777 06:20 AM 8/18/12

   I think its a matter of social acceptance. A trait we got through conditioning by societial life. Lack of inner motivation is not the thing, its need for personal Satisfaction or respect towards ourselves we acheive through doing things for other.

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