When and how refusing to help decreases one's influence

When does saying no to a helping request hurt person's influence? Across five studies, when someone was asked for help, had two opposing effects on their actual and perceived influence by increasing dominance, but decreasing prestige. The cost of providing help moderated these effects. Overall, refusing decreased little time, effort, or money, compared both agreeing control condition. This effect eliminated reversed with higher helping. Individuals who refused provide low-cost were as less prestigious influential than those high-cost individuals agreed similarly regardless helping's cost. Our research highlights the importance prestige dominance influence, major contextual factor consequences.