Express yourself

Many stores and eating establishments have plastic bins near the cash register, imploring you to give money for one reason or another. They are always for good causes – either tips for hard-working employees or donations to a charity. If you’re like me, though, you sometimes overlook them or maybe don’t chip in as much as you could.

Behavioral science suggests a better way.

Fascinating insights in this article and accompanying slides about how to effectively tie pro-social giving to personal expression. (The original research is discussed in more depth here.)

For instance, at a café, giving increased when, instead of a single tip jar, there were two jars so that giving was a choice between two options, and you could express yourself with your donation. For example, “Put money in this jar if you prefer cats…or put it in this other jar if you prefer dogs.”  Or “Put your money in this jar if you are a Pitt fan…and this other jar if you are a Penn State fan.”

The research showed this approach led to greater tips in a café, and also increased donations to a charitable cause when a similar choice was presented online.

For this to work, the two choices should be relevant to our identity.  People tend to feel strongly about their pets, their universities, and their sports teams, for example. Even something silly like, “Which actor would you like to have narrate your life?” could have personal relevance.

However, a choice between, “Which color do you prefer more, red or green?” may not have such a pronounced effect on behavior because most of us don’t derive a sense of identity from our favorite color.