Not Bowing Down Thine Ear: Underestimating Observers' Impression After Seeking Help From People With Less Competence

Abstract

Help-seekers not only desire to solve their problem, but also want to leave a good impression on others while seeking help. Although potential helpers who are overall less competent than help-seekers can solve help-seekers' specific problems in many situations, help-seekers rarely ask for their help. To explain the underutilization of less-competent helpers, this study investigates whether help-seekers can accurately predict observers' impressions of them when they ask for help from these helpers. Five studies showed that people who sought help from less-competent helpers underestimated observers' impressions, because they focused less on flexibility and more on competence compared to observers. This misprediction can be attenuated by prompting help-seekers to consider the flexibility conveyed by downward help-seeking. Our research contributes to the help-seeking literature by examining whether and why help-seekers miscalibrate social evaluations resulting from seeking help from less-competent helpers. It also encourages help-seekers to “bow down their ears.”