I recently came across the results of an interesting study conducted by Ellen Langer and her colleagues. She got total strangers waiting in line to use a copy machine to let her go ahead of them by making several requests. The research  team decided to test the power of the word "because."  In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" Faced with the direct request to cut ahead in this line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them. However, when the stranger made the request with a reason ("May I use the Xerox machine, because I'm in a rush?"), almost everyone (94 percent) complied.

Then the study tested something even more interesting...This time, the stranger also used the word because but followed it with a completely meaningless reason. Specifically, the stranger said "May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?"

The result...93 percent complied.