⚡️Make a Small Mistake So People Like You More

STORY

In the early 1960s, Elliot Aronson, one of psychology’s rising stars and a protégé of Leon Festinger (father of Cognitive Dissonance) was fascinated by what made people likable.

He noticed something odd in daily life and media: People loved charismatic, competent folks who occasionally made harmless blunders. (Watch Jennifer Lawrence fall on the way to getting her Oscars and people loved her for it)

“Could a small mistake actually make someone more likable if they were already seen as competent?”

Psychology often assumed mistakes made people less credible, less trustworthy, less attractive.

But Aronson suspected the opposite might be true at least in some contexts.

STUDY

So in 1966, he performed the famous coffee study.

He recruits a bunch of volunteers.
He records two versions of a man answering a quiz:

• In both recordings, the man nails nearly every question. Super smart. Sharp. Impressive.

• But in one version, after the quiz ends, the man clumsily knocks over a cup of coffee and spills it all over himself.

Same guy. Same answers. One tiny blunder.

Then Aronson plays these tapes for the study participants and asks:
“Which one do you like more?”

💥 Surprise:
The coffee-spiller wins…by a lot.

Why? Because the mistake made him feel human.
Still competent, still impressive but also real, relatable, and a little charming.

So he called this phenomenon the Pratfall Effect, named after a concept from comedy: “prat” being a slang term for the buttocks, and “fall” being, well, the fall (think Charlie Chaplin) This comedic fall or gaffe is meant to humanize the performer and draw laughter. He applied it to social psychology.

STRATEGY

Here are 5 ways to apply the Pratfall Effect:

Show the messy behind-the-scenes.

↳ “We almost missed the deadline… but here’s how we pulled it off.”

Don’t edit out every stumble.

↳ A laugh, a pause, a typo...leave it in.

Own a flaw before someone else does.

↳ “We’re not the cheapest but we are the most thoughtful.”

Include honest reviews—not just 5 stars

↳ “4.5 stars from 800+ users” → even better than a “perfect” 5.0

Humanize your brand with behind-the-scenes blunders

↳ “We sent the wrong file last launch 😬 but 92% of customers said they’d still refer us. Grateful, and better than ever this time.”

So what’s the takeaway?

If you’re already good at what you do, don’t stress about being flawless.

That little crack in the armor? It might be the very thing that makes people lean in.

Because perfection intimidates. But a pratfall? That invites connection.

Make your mark, live your legend 🤘🏽

I’ll see you on Sunday!

P.S. I’m going to be sharing my personal experience of the Pratfall Effect and 3 small changes in your communication that can have big impact.

Howie Chan

Creator of Legend Letters

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