Influence

Date added to “All Time Favorite” list: cerca 2010

One of my all-time favorites. Examines the shortcuts people use to make decisions and the six principles that seem to have a large effect on people’s behavior. The principles are:

• Reciprocation discusses how you may feel indebted to someone who has some a good deed for you
• Commitment and Consistency discuss how people want to be seen as ‘consistent’ with their ‘commitments’. For example, if someone tells you that they don’t eat sugar and are on a healthy diet (even if they just ate a candy bar), they will try to remain consistent in front of other people to their statement.
• Social Proof can be thought of as infomercials or online reviews. If you hear other people having a good experience with a product, then you assume you will, too. This is big in The Game by Neil Strauss regarding courting women. It is easier to do so if you already have attractive women around you.
• Liking discusses why people like you (physical attractiveness, posture, similarity, etc. If someone likes you, it’s not a stretch to assume you can influence them
• Authority discusses how persons being viewed as an authority are more persuasive. Teachers are supposed to be an authority and they need not persuade you that the information they are teaching you is accurate. Same with a doctor who recommends an exam.
• Scarcity is best known in marketing when you hear things like ‘limited supply’ and the such.

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