Rejection 88: Play Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock With a Stranger

Through rejection therapy, I found that among all the crazy requests that challenges are the most likely to be accepted. They tap into people's basic interests for competition, curiosity, and fun. For example, when I challenged a stranger to a foot race, I got a 'yes'. When I challenged a CEO to a staring contest the CEO didn't show up…but the VP of Marketing did. However, those challenges have rules that are easily understood and accepted. What if I challenge someone with a game that's not previously known and I had to explain it? Would the ambiguity become an obstacle strong enough to get a rejection?

Based on a suggestion from Jason Comely, the inventor of the Rejection Therapy game, I learned and challenged a stranger to a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock.

Yes, I missed a few lines but it didn't really matter. Although one instance doesn't prove a theory it does make me wonder: maybe the fact that I had to explain the rules made the challenge more interesting to him. Because it taps into one more human interest – knowledge-seeking. If a friendly looking guy comes to me trying to teach me a game, I would say 'yes' too.

Learning: While people are busy and averse to abnormality in their lives, a well-placed knowledge gap might not hurt our requests. After all, we all want to learn something new.