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January 11, 2002

Strange But True!

Q. A friend who's down on his luck asks: Know any proven strategies for lucrative panhandling?

A. Research offers these: Hit the sidewalk on a sunny day (positive mood enhances helpfulness), try to make eye contact, and "seed" the pan (a smattering of coins has a suggestible effect). Also, if possible, stand outside a bakery or movie theater featuring a comedy, because both pleasant smells and light levity boost generosity, say Robert Baron and Donn Byrne in "Social Psychology." Then there's the "pique technique": When women in a study asked passersby "Can you spare any change?" or "Can you spare a quarter?," only around half contributed; but this jumped to three-quarters when the more unusual "Can you spare 17 cents?" or "Can you spare 37 cents?" was used. Presumably the targets' curiosity was piqued – "Why 17 cents? I wonder what this person needs the money for?" – jarring them out of their usual automatic refusal "script." Finally, consider an experiment by John T. Malloy, author of "Dress for Success," who panhandled during rush hour in downtown New York City. At first with suit but no tie, then with a necktie added, he used the line that he was embarrassed to ask but he forgot his wallet and needed bus money home. Tieless, he collected $7.23 in an hour. With tie, he bagged $26, and one guy even gave him extra money to buy a newspaper for the bus ride.


 
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