For My Own Benefit or for the Benefit of Others

Abstract

Persuading people to follow a behavioral recommendation can be attempted by outlining the negative consequences for those performing this behavior or by outlining the negative consequences for others. Prior research has shown that reminding people of money (e.g., touching money) leads to higher self-sufficiency resulting in more self-focused and less social behavior. Consequently, the authors show that touching money also affects the persuasiveness of arguments focusing on the self versus other people. After reading an argument outlining the negative consequences of a behavior (e.g., smoking) for the person performing that behavior (e.g., premature skin aging), participants reported stronger intentions to abstain from that behavior when they had previously touched money compared to a control group. In contrast, following arguments that stressed the negative consequences the behavior had for other people (e.g., children imitating smoking behavior), participants who had touched money reported less inclination for behavioral change compared to a control group.