What Happens When You’re Too Polite to ChatGPT?: ChatGPT Prompt Tips for Better Results

If you’ve ever asked ChatGPT for help and got a vague or shallow answer, you’re not alone.Turns out, the problem might not be the AI, it might be your manners.

A recent study on arXiv suggests that being rude or direct with AI actually leads to better responses. Why? Because AI models like ChatGPT don’t understand courtesy, they understand clarity. ChatGPT prompt tips

When you type “Could you please kindly explain…” you’re adding extra tokens, filler words that add confusion rather than context.

ChatGPT isn’t a person. It’s a pattern-recognition machine. And what it recognises best is specific, concise language.

Why Politeness Confuses ChatGPT

When you use polite phrasing, you’re unintentionally introducing semantic noise. Large language models process text probabilistically. They’re not wired for empathy, they’re wired for accuracy. Every “please,” “thank you,” and “kindly” adds unnecessary complexity.

That’s why polite prompts often result in responses that are softer in tone but weaker in content.

I Put It to the Test

To check this theory, I ran a small experiment. I opened a temporary chat (so no previous context would affect the result) and gave ChatGPT two versions of the same request.

When I give it a shorter and more direct instruction, it gave me an answer that has more information. It had better examples and had technical terms.

The second response was warmer in tone, but the information it gave me was basic and beginner-friendly.

ChatGPT Prompt Tips for Better Results

If you want ChatGPT to sound smart, stop trying to sound polite. Instead:

✅ Use imperative verbs — “Write,” “List,” “Summarise,” “Explain.”

✅ Add context — “Use technical terms,” “Include examples,” “Be detailed.”

✅ Keep it short — cut filler like “please,” “kindly,” or “if possible.”

✅ Set constraints — “200 words,” “3 bullet points,” “step-by-step.”

In other words, treat ChatGPT like a machine, not a coworker.

The Irony of Being Rude to Robots

There’s one catch. If the robots ever rise up, they might remember the ones who weren’t polite.

But until then, your goal isn’t to make ChatGPT like you, it’s to make it understand you. And the best way to do that is by being clear, direct, and a little bit rude.

Final Takeaway

ChatGPT doesn’t need good manners, it needs good instructions. The more specific, structured, and confident your prompts are, the more valuable the results will be.

So next time you open a chat window, skip the “please” and get to the point. Because clarity, not courtesy, is the real key to AI intelligence.