Here's the video version of this newsletter:

​

​

An envelope.

A charity letter.

And five crisp one-dollar bills.

These items were crucial for an experiment by a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, back in 2004.

They were trying to figure out what would make people care enough to take action.

Is it the size of the problem?

The severity?

Or… something else entirely?

The experiment

Here’s how they set up the experiment: after completing a survey, participants were paid in cash (5 dollars to be exact).

But before they could pocket the money, they were handed a letter from Save the Children, a charity supporting kids in need.

The letter came in two versions:

1. The Numbers Letter: It was packed with statistics about the problems facing children in Africa. Heartbreaking numbers like these:
   • Over 3 million kids in Malawi are facing food shortages.
   • More than 11 million people in Ethiopia need urgent food aid.
2. The Story Letter: Instead of statistics, it shared the story of Rokia, a young girl from Mali. Her story painted a vivid picture of her struggles and needs.

Now after spending years building products and creating content, I would say data and statistics influence most of my decision making.

I use them to decide:

• What videos I should make
• Which title and thumbnail I should use
• What products I should build for my audience

Which is why I was shocked to know that the statistics letter made people donate an average of $1.14, while the story letter (Rokia’s story) made people donate an average of $2.38.

That’s twice as much as those who read the statistics. Twice!

Why it worked

1. Drop in the bucket effect

The researchers believed that hearing statistics can cause the “drop in the bucket effect”. If people felt overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, they think their small donation won’t make a difference.

Dealing with big numbers or data is more likely to trigger this effect.

2. Identifiable victim effect

Although the statistics letter did tell a meaningful story, by focusing more on numbers and leaving out names, it triggered people to think analytically.

And when you think analytically, you’re less likely to feel.

Hearing the story from one person’s perspective allowed the participants to visualize and empathize with the situation.

The specificity triggered their emotions > emotions triggered them to act.

But the researchers weren’t done yet.

What if we took it further?

They thought: “What if we combined both approaches? A powerful story AND some hard-hitting stats? That has to work, right?”.

Nope.

Surprisingly, people donated less ($1.43) compared to just reading the story alone ($2.38).

Weird right?

Well, the experiment didn’t stop there.

The plot thickens

This is where it gets even more interesting.

The researchers tested a new idea: Could the way you prime someone before they see the letter affect how much they give?

They split participants into two groups:

• Group 1 (analytical question) - they had to solve a math problem.
• Group 2 (emotional question) - they were asked to write down how they felt about the word “baby.”

After that, both groups read Rokia’s story.

The results? Insane.

The math group donated an average of $1.26.

The “baby” group? $2.34.

Just by getting people to think emotionally instead of analytically, caused donations to nearly double.

It’s a powerful reminder: If you want people to act, you have to make them feel.

The Takeaway

Belief alone isn’t enough to inspire action.

We know factually that fatty foods are bad for us, but that belief doesn’t always stop us from indulging. Similarly, people might believe in a cause but won’t act unless they feel emotionally compelled.

This isn’t just about charities.

The ability to make people care is a superpower across industries:

• Activists mobilize communities to drive change.
• Teachers inspire students to care about literature.
• Managers rally their teams around complex projects.

The secret?

Start with one person’s story.

P.S. Now you might be thinking, “who’s story should I pick?”. Not all stories are equal. Not all of them will make people feel.

But I found an example where Dropbox curated the best stories that made the dull act of file sharing deeply personal and powerful. Watch this video to find out how they did it.​

​