Empowered Refusal

What it is

Vanessa Patrick and Henrik Hagtvedt tested two ways of turning down a temptation. Saying I don't, which presents the refusal as a settled choice, helped people resist and keep to their goals more than saying I can't, which presents it as an outside rule. A sense of empowerment explained the difference in several of the studies.

In effect

In the article on why it is so hard to say no, it is a small, practical way to make a refusal easier to hold.

What it does not say

The studies concerned resisting temptations and keeping goals. They do not show that the wording changes how other people react to a refusal.

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