A team of researchers recently published a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, proposing that mentally simulating an attractive alternative can make you a better negotiator.

Having a strong alternative can be beneficial. It can act as a safety net that prevents you from accepting a bad offer. Additionally, it can serve as an ambitious reference point that can boost a negotiator’s aspirations. But what happens when you don’t actually have any good alternatives?

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This led the researchers to wonder if the same advantages can be granted to those who don’t have such desirable offers. Based on their findings, it appears there is a psychological tool that can be used in these circumstances. All a person needs to do in order to have more power in negotiations is imagine they have a good alternative offer, even if they don’t. It’s a powerful behavioral insight that can be used to your advantage.

Holding the power at the table

The ability to negotiate is a powerful tool. Going after what you want, while respecting others in the process can be tricky. However, a negotiation can quickly fall apart when one party realizes that they have more at stake. This often occurs when people negotiate without a backup plan. Not having an alternative to fall back on can put you at a huge disadvantage. It can lower your aspirations, feelings of confidence, and willingness to even begin negotiating.

Plenty of research has shown that negotiators with strong alternatives are able to secure a more profitable agreement. Now researchers are suggesting that you don’t necessarily need to have an attractive alternative, you just need to think that you do. For example, while in the midst of negotiating a deal, you need to conjure up a mental image of others also willing to make that deal with you.

However, this may be easier said than done. can be a difficult skill to master. Not everyone can do it. Luckily, there are ways that you can improve this skill by targeting your and imagination. Curious to know more? We’ll discuss these at the end of the post. But first, let’s dive into the research.

Experiment: The science behind effective negotiations

This research proposed a novel mechanism that could allow those in a disadvantaged position to perform more effectively in competitive social interactions. They hypothesized that merely thinking you have an attractive alternative can motivate you to negotiate better.

To test their hypothesis, the team ran seven studies. They consisted of participants who were either recruited on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, pursuing an MBA, or enrolled in an undergraduate program. In the first study, participants were assigned the role of the recruiter or candidate. Their task was to negotiate an employment contract. The researchers hypothesized that participants who mentally simulated an attractive alternative would be likely to place more value on distributive issues (i.e. issues that two parties are completely opposed on).

Results from this experiment offered support for their hypotheses. Negotiators who engaged in mental simulation were less likely to settle on issues they wholly disagreed on.

In the second study, participants were randomly assigned to a strong alternative condition, a no alternative condition, or an imaginary alternative condition. Participants were instructed to sell a secondhand CD while making the first offer. Results showed that participants in the imaginary alternative condition made higher first offers. This suggests that using your imagination can motivate you to be ambitious despite not having a real alternative to fall back on.

In the third and fourth study, participants were assigned to the same conditions as the second study. Participants then entered into a negotiation where they were instructed to sell or buy a Starbucks logo mug. The outcome of this experiment exhibited that negotiators who used the imaginary-alternative technique reached a better final agreement than those in the no-alternative condition. This once again suggests that imagining an attractive alternative can allow you to overcome the negative effects of not having an actual alternative.

The fifth study consisted of participants assigned to an attractive imaginary alternative condition, an unattractive imaginary alternative condition, or a no mental simulation condition. The design of this experiment was similar to the experiments during the previous two studies except cars were being sold instead of coffee mugs. The results showed that the negotiator must be thinking of an attractive alternative (as opposed to any alternative) in order to see a significant improvement in the outcome.

Much like the first study, participants were assigned the role of a recruiter or candidate in the sixth study. However, in this case the terms of the job offer had already been established. The participants’ task was to negotiate the signing bonus. This study revealed that negotiators did not experience benefits from mental simulation when their opponent moved first. This is likely because they were anchored by their opponent’s first offer. Additionally, benefits were not reaped if the opponent was also engaging in mental simulation.

In the final study, participants were randomly assigned the role of the buyer or seller. The experiment involved the sale of a restaurant. However, this task was designed to make it extremely difficult for the parties involved to reach an agreement. The results of this study showcased the downside of mental simulation. Negotiations involving parties who mentally simulated a better alternative were more likely to result in an impasse. Thus, thinking about a more attractive offer can cause you to be less cooperative when faced with a negative bargaining zone.

Results applied: Hone your visualization skills

Visualization is a form of imagination. To many, it isn’t exactly a natural skill. Fortunately, there are visualization techniques you can use to improve your imagination and introspective creativity. Here are some things you can do to do better at imagining an attractive alternative:

Mind wander and phase out : Close your eyes. Look at a blank wall, or fixate on an object about 5-10 feet in front of you. (Side note: It is important to set a timer while doing this. An excessive amount of can be unhealthy. Studies show that getting too lost in your mind has been linked to .)

: Close your eyes. Look at a blank wall, or fixate on an object about 5-10 feet in front of you. (Side note: It is important to set a timer while doing this. An excessive amount of can be unhealthy. Studies show that getting too lost in your mind has been linked to .) See the blue around you : looking at the color blue is an easy fix to give you an instant visual creativity boost. A study at the University of Colombia examined participants who performed a cognitive task while staring at a blue screen. They found that the color blue was correlated with enhanced creativity.

: looking at the color blue is an easy fix to give you an instant visual creativity boost. A study at the University of Colombia examined participants who performed a cognitive task while staring at a blue screen. They found that the color blue was correlated with enhanced creativity. Have a nightcap : A study at the University of Illinois examined 40 intoxicated participants while completing a creative problem-solving task. Their blood content was 0.075, which is just below the legal limit. In comparison to the sober participants, they solved the task in less time and were more likely to attribute their solutions as a result of sudden insight.

: A study at the University of Illinois examined 40 intoxicated participants while completing a creative problem-solving task. Their blood content was 0.075, which is just below the legal limit. In comparison to the sober participants, they solved the task in less time and were more likely to attribute their solutions as a result of sudden insight. Get sarcastic: Research shows that sarcasm can act as a catalyst for creativity. A study performed at Harvard and Columbia business schools examined participants’ responses after expressing and receiving sarcastic remarks. Results showed that these participants—as opposed to participants who only expressed sincere remarks—displayed enhanced creativity. The researchers proposed that sarcasm promotes creativity through abstract thinking.

Learn more psychological tactics and behavioral applications in order to boost your workplace performance.