Permission to speak your mind

You want to convince your sister to distance herself from a toxic friend, but you worry about being manipulative by angling for a certain outcome. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh say you don’t have to fret about hiding your bias—their study found that overtly nudging someone toward a decision and making it obvious that you have a preference for a particular option is just as effective at influencing final choices as keeping your opinion hidden. Since transparency reinforces trust, openness makes your input even more valued.