Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who has consulted with Match.com said on a July 2022 Freakonomics podcast episode that people can respond to a questionnaire in one of three ways:
Guilty as charged, right? I have certainly struggled at times to answer surveys 100 percent reflective of how/who I really am instead of how I want the scorer to view me. Even when it is in my best interest to answer with full disclosure. Say on a fitness or nutrition or physical therapy consult. Or the first time I took the skin quiz consult with the company my business is now partnered with. Maybe you’ve done the same with our skin quiz or with a personal trainer or with a health coach or your insurance company’s Health Risk Assessment…? There are a few theories as to why we do this. One is just a general lack of awareness. For example, may think we exercise more than we do, in terms of calories burnt. Or eat better than we actually do, in terms of calories consumed. Another theory is social desirability bias, driven by a need to appear “prosocial”. That is, we want people to think we exercise, vote, or attend religious services more than we do (Brenner & DeLamater, 2017). These tendencies to skew the truth depend on context, of course (Brenner & DeLamater, 2017). It depends on the topic, the person, the person’s incentive for taking the survey/questionnaire, and their relationship to the interviewer or scorer. And of course, the results can also be skewed based on the reliability and validity of the survey (aka, is it legit or not).
Why Does This Matter?
If the survey is a just-for-fun quiz posted on Facebook, it probably doesn’t. If it’s meant to guide you in positive behavior change like a new eating or exercise plan, or addressing your pesky skin concerns, or even preventing skin and other health issues (prevent > correction), then it matters. “You can’t improve what you don’t measure,” (often attributed to Peter Drucker). And measuring starts with your baseline, or your initial questionnaire results. Whether you’re working with a consultant, coach, or simply making adjustments yourself, you need to start with an accurate picture of where you are relative to your goal.
How to ‘Fix’ It?
Well, simply answer honestly. Ha, ok easier said than done. When you feel yourself wanting to skew the truth, remember: the questionnaire is not a judgment on who you are as a person. It’s not measuring your value. It is simply measuring behavior or the current state of health. Depersonalize yourself from the questions. And if it’s a questionnaire with the intent of helping you improve certain health-related behaviors or goals, such as skin or fitness or eating or sleeping or stress management…remember that the only way to really help you succeed is by opening up and answering as honestly as you can. For example, on a recent Physical Therapy intake form, it asked me about my diet. I answered that I eat mostly lean proteins with lots of fruits and veggies, and some fat-free Greek yogurt, and then added that because I’m human, I enjoy some candy on occasion, to which my PT got a nice laugh.
The Power of 1:1 Consults
Because of this tendency to skew results, however unintended, I try as much as possible to not just send my skin quiz link around and leave it at that. I could probably sell more if I did. But selling isn’t my goal. Helping is my goal. Just like I always hold free consults with individuals for health/wellness coaching, I try to always hold conversations around the skin quiz results to ensure that the individual and I are on the same page with what their concerns are, what they are currently using, and what they are really open to. And to make sure they understood the quiz questions.
If you’re in a situation, say with a skin or health consult to potentially purchase products or hire services, and the person delivering the questionnaire does not at least offer a phone/video follow-up to discuss your results, be wary. Now if they offer and you wave it off, that’s a different story.
Final Thoughts
Remember that the questionnaires are not judging your value or quality as a person. Be confident in who you are. No one is perfect. We all have areas we want to improve. The first step is acknowledging where you are, and having an idea of where you want to go. And then being willing and ready to start the journey.
Reference
Brenner & DeLamater, 2017: doi: 10.1177/0190272516628298
