The internet runs on reviews, and many of our actions these days do too, even if we don’t realize it. For example, RevLocal found in a 2018 survey that 42% of people simply will not use a business with less than a three-star rating. Meanwhile, a 2017 survey by Bright Local found that 49% of people require a four or five star rating before they utilize a business.

All this decision-making comes with a financial impact for businesses, as well. A Harvard Business School study in 2016 found that a one-star increase in Yelp ratings will translate to a 5-9% increase in revenue for a restaurant.

All of which adds up to something that we intuitively recognize — that we tend to trust the opinions of others. But are you one of the people that actually chooses to leave a review and share your opinion?

Research is, as per the usual, mixed here. Pew Research Center in 2010 estimated that 24% of Americans are willing to write reviews or share their opinions about items that they buy or services they use online.

What predicts those reviews, though? A January 2019 study in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that, quote:

[…] ego involvement has a significant impact on online review writing intention […]. Further, it is also identified as the most significant predictor of intention to write online reviews for the restaurant as it accounts for 42.8% variance.

Ego isn’t the only reason reviews get written, though — a desire for revenge also plays a role – but so does a desire to do what is asked. So…