Melanie Lampro

My Digital Interactions: Why Saying ‘Please’ to Your AI Could Benefit Your Mental Health

You know I’m always exploring ways to boost our well-being, and lately, something you might not immediately associate with it has been on my mind: our interactions with artificial intelligence (AI).

As a creative, my initial reaction to AI wasn’t one of immediate enthusiasm. The concept was interesting to me, but I had reservations about how well it would integrate with my process. Looking back, I think a bit of “fear of obsolescence” (FOBO) was at play – just a quiet worry, not a full-blown crisis, about whether embracing AI was the right direction for my work.¹

Now, before I get into it, I want to be clear that these are just my own, recent observations. I am not claiming some groundbreaking discovery! While I’m sure there’s existing discussion around how we interact with AI (ironically, I could ask AI to find it), after a few months of using these tools more, I’ve become aware of something: extending some courtesy to these helpers might actually be a small act of online empathy that, unexpectedly, seems to ripple back and benefit our own mental health and overall well-being.

We’re all using this technology more and more, right? (Please tell me that I haven’t accidentally joined a robot cult!)

Seriously though, whether it’s helping me brainstorm blog ideas, whip up cool graphics in Canva, crunch word counts, or tapping into the power of Gemini or ChatGPT (just a few of my go-to AI assistants), I’ve found a little politeness can go a long way.

Despite those little pangs of FOBO, I find myself being consistently polite when interacting with my AI, and it just feels right. This politeness stands in stark contrast to the direct phrasing I see in most AI prompt examples, which I understand is probably for efficiency.

Think about how much time we spend staring at screens each day. We’re constantly firing off commands to our devices. So, why not inject a little kindness into those tech interactions?

For me, it starts with just saying ‘please’ when I ask my AI to do something, like ‘please generate a few headline options.’ It feels more natural, doesn’t it? And, honestly, it kind of reinforces those good communication habits that are so important in our real-life interactions too.

Plus, I’ve found that when I’m clearer and more polite with my AI, giving it a bit of context, it often gets the task done more effectively.

Consider this: Instead of typing ‘summarise article,’ try phrasing it as, ‘Could you please summarise the key arguments of this article in three bullet points?’ You might find the difference in the focused and helpful response is noticeable, and it could actually make you feel more in control of the task. (I’ve included an example at the end of this blog post).

In practice, when I’m drafting emails (and if you know me, you know I can get really into explaining things) I’ll often prompt with something like, ‘Could you please draft a concise and professional email to a customer outlining the key benefits of our new product, keeping it under 150 words?’ Because left to my own devices, my enthusiasm tends to lead to emails that are a little…thorough, shall we say? My friends might appreciate these animated, detailed explanations in a social setting, but for a business email, brevity is usually the better approach. That’s where AI comes in handy; it’s brilliant for helping me make my writing more direct and cut out any unnecessary jargon or lengthy explanations.

In that respect, I believe it helps others too, helping my point get across clearly and making sure the message lands effectively. Definitely a win for efficient communication, and honestly, it just feels better to interact this way.

And here’s another thing I’ve noticed: Being mindful and polite in my requests to AI actually helps me approach my work more mindfully overall.

It’s about being intentional in how I communicate, even with a machine. This clarity and precision can translate into a more focused and less chaotic work environment, reducing decision fatigue and freeing up mental energy for the things that truly matter.

Funnily enough, this intentionality with AI is seeping into the rest of my life. I’m catching myself being more deliberate about how I phrase things to people, aiming for clarity and being respectful of their time, much like I do when prompting my AI. This might be because our brains are wired for consistency. Practicing polite and clear communication with AI could subtly reinforce those neural pathways, making it more natural to adopt the same approach in our human interactions. It’s almost like a low-stakes training ground for better communication.

This ‘give-and-take’ suggests that as we refine our communication for AI, we inadvertently hone our interpersonal skills too, perhaps even becoming more patient and thoughtful listeners as a result of expecting clear and concise responses from our AI partners. This almost symbiotic relationship could stem from the way we internalise habits – what we practice in one context can bleed into others, especially when it involves fundamental aspects of communication like clarity and respect.

In our increasingly tech-driven world, AI interactions are becoming a bigger part of our daily communication. By choosing to be a bit kinder and more thoughtful in how we engage with these tools, I genuinely believe we’re fostering a slightly more positive and mindful approach to our tech use.

So, perhaps in this ever-more-online existence, extending a little human kindness, even to our AI partners, becomes a step towards a more mindful and ultimately human experience. It’s about reclaiming a sense of intentionality in a world often geared towards immediate reaction. Next time you prompt your AI, try adding a ‘please’ or a ‘thank you’ – it might just shift something within you.

You could be surprised by the subtle uplift it brings to your own online experience. Give it a try and share your thoughts below. Did you notice any shift, however small, in your interaction or even your own perspective? Let’s compare notes and see what emerges!

P.S. Just so you know, I did use AI to help me write this blog post. And yes, I remembered to say thank you.

Blunt vs. Precise: How Prompt Clarity Impacts AI Summaries

When using AI to summarise content, the way you phrase your request (your prompt) can significantly impact the output. Let’s look at an example using a Collider article titled “11 Best Movies About Artificial Intelligence, Ranked.”

Blunt Prompt:

summarise article https://collider.com/movies-about-ai-essential-ranked/²

This resulted in a 350-word summary that listed each of the eleven movies, providing a brief plot synopsis and highlighting key themes for each.

Defined Prompt:

Could you please summarise this article https://collider.com/movies-about-ai-essential-ranked/ in three bullet points?

This more specific prompt yielded a concise, three-point summary focusing on the article’s overall content (66 words):

Here’s a three-bullet point summary of the Collider article “11 Best Movies About Artificial Intelligence, Ranked”:

• The article ranks eleven key films that explore the multifaceted themes and implications of artificial intelligence in cinema.
• These movies delve into various aspects of AI, including potential threats, the nature of consciousness, the blurring lines between humans and machines, and philosophical considerations.
• The list spans classic sci-fi to more contemporary releases, showcasing the enduring and evolving cinematic fascination with AI and its impact on humanity.

Why the Defined Prompt Wins in Efficiency

The second summary demonstrates greater efficiency for several key reasons:

• Conciseness: By specifying the desired format (three bullet points), the prompt directly guided the AI to produce a brief and easily digestible overview.
• Focus on the Article: The defined prompt implicitly directed the AI to summarise the article itself (its purpose and main takeaways) rather than just listing the content within it.
• Time Savings for the Reader: A shorter, more focused summary allows a reader to quickly understand the essence of the article without needing to process details about each individual movie.
• Higher-Level Understanding: The bullet points provide a broader understanding of the article’s scope and central arguments, offering a more holistic view.

In conclusion, while a blunt prompt can yield a detailed summary, a well-defined prompt that specifies the desired format and focus can lead to a more efficient and targeted output, saving time and providing a clearer high-level understanding of the content. This highlights the importance of clear communication when interacting with AI for tasks like summarisation.

✨ This blog post was written with the assistance of AI. All images in this blog post were generated using AI tools.

Research Sources and Further Reading

1. Anna Howell, “Is AI giving you ‘FOBO’? Here’s how to deal with job anxiety,” World Economic Forum, December 11, 2023, accessed May 15, 2025, https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/12/ai-fobo-jobs-anxiety/
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2. Luc Haasbroek, “11 Best Movies About Artificial Intelligence, Ranked,” Collider, May 13, 2025, accessed May 15, 2025, https://collider.com/movies-about-ai-essential-ranked/ ↩︎