A Prosocial Perspective on Advice Seeking and Networking: How Focusing on What Advice Givers Can Gain Motivates Advice Seekers to Reach Out More

Abstract

People are often reluctant to network or seek advice from others due to anticipated emotional discomfort. Yet, most prior research is either vague regarding the exact nature of such discomfort or identifies mainly proself (i.e., self-oriented) concerns. Not sufficiently addressed, though, are prosocial concerns about advice seeking as an inequitable exchange that potentially burdens the advice giver. Paradoxically, advice givers have a lot to gain from providing advice. To address this “inequity illusion” of advice seeking, we integrate prosocial impact and equity theorizing. We propose that a prosocial framing of advice seeking (i.e., the idea that advice seeking is beneficial for advice givers ) functions as a psychological equity restoration technique that lowers the advice seeker’s “burden anxiety”—thereby increasing advice-seeking behavior. We further examine whether prosocial framing is more potent in relational settings that amplify worries about potential inequity, such as with higher-status or unfamiliar advice givers. Using a multi-study experimental design, including two randomized controlled field experiments, we find that prosocial framing of advice-seeking benefits leads to increased advice seeking, mediated by burden anxiety. We also find initial evidence that prosocial framing is a more potent motivator when the advice giver has higher relative status or is more unfamiliar.