What is Reason-Respecting Tendency?

Reason-Respecting Tendency is a mental model used for better thinking and decision-making.

How do you apply Reason-Respecting Tendency?

To apply Reason-Respecting Tendency, identify situations where this framework is relevant, then use it as a lens to evaluate your options and decisions. The model is most useful when combined with other complementary mental models.

What category does Reason-Respecting Tendency fall under?

Reason-Respecting Tendency falls under the Psychology & Behavior category of mental models. Other models in this category can be found on the Psychology & Behavior hub page.

Why is Reason-Respecting Tendency important?

Reason-Respecting Tendency is important because it provides a structured way to think about problems that would otherwise be approached with intuition alone. Understanding this model helps you avoid common reasoning errors and make better decisions.

Where does Reason-Respecting Tendency come from?

Reason-Respecting Tendency is discussed in the tradition of Ellen Langer.

Psychology & Behavior

Reason-Respecting Tendency

Model #0974Category: Psychology & BehaviorSource: Ellen LangerDepth to apply:

4 min read

Contents

1. Core Idea
2. How to See It
3. How to Use It
4. Founders & Leaders
5. Connected Models
6. One Key Quote
7. Summary & Further Reading

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Psychology & Behavior

Section 1

Core Idea

The Reason-Respecting Tendency is the human inclination to comply more readily with a request when a reason is provided — even if the reason is trivial or circular. Ellen Langer's famous copy-machine study showed that adding "because I need to make copies" (a meaningless justification) significantly increased compliance compared to no reason at all. The word "because" triggers an automatic compliance response. In business, this means providing any rationale for a decision, policy, or request dramatically increases buy-in — not because people carefully evaluate the logic, but because the existence of a reason satisfies a deep cognitive need. Founders who explain "why" get more compliance, more trust, and less resistance than those who simply issue directives, regardless of the reason's sophistication.