Why Asking for Advice Is Actually a Gift to the Person You Ask
SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- June 2, 2025 -- There is a study making the rounds in organizational psychology circles right now, and it tackles something most career advice skips entirely: why people refuse to ask for help even when they badly need it. Anne Burmeister, a professor at the University of Cologne, led the research through the ECONtribute Excellence Cluster, and the findings landed in the Academy of Management Journal. The short version is this -- people hold back because they assume they are the only ones who benefit from asking. Once they learn that is not true, they reach out 40 percent more often. It is a small shift with a surprisingly large effect.