Of all the scientists who have studied influence, Cialdini has had the greatest impact on me… This bestseller presents six to eight methods so that your clever little ideas will no longer prevent you from getting your best interests.
— Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s right-hand man
Humans all have certain mental sets or fixed patterns. Once triggered, we act as if someone pressed the play button, and subsequent behavior may be beyond our control. In fact, all of these stem from the human tendency to avoid thinking. Avoiding thinking indeed brought many benefits to humans in primitive times — for example, it saved time and reduced life-threatening consequences caused by indecision. But now, the instinct to avoid thinking has also become the easiest place for compliance experts to exploit.
In fact, regardless of the compliance tactic used, the core response method is the same — thinking. First, detach yourself from emotions; second, figure out what you truly want, and distinguish appearance from substance.
Author: 木鸟杂记 https://www.qtmuniao.com/2021/10/18/influence-notes, please indicate the source when reposting
Contrast Principle
When the second item differs from the first, we tend to perceive the difference as greater than it actually is.
Deliver bad news starting with the worst; start a sales pitch with the most expensive option.
Reciprocity Principle
When others give us a favor, it always triggers our sense of indebtedness, which in turn elicits a return behavior — even if the favor is something we did not want.
A similar tactic is the reciprocal concession technique, also known as the “rejection-then-retreat” method. First, make an unacceptable request; after the other party rejects it, make a second request that appears to be a concession but is actually your real goal. This triggers the other party’s sense of guilt, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will agree to the request. Moreover, the other party may actually identify more strongly with the outcome because they feel they contributed to securing your concession, making them less likely to back out later.
Commitment and Consistency Principle
We deceive ourselves again and again in order to believe that we made the right decision.
People have a tendency to avoid thinking. Some seemingly unrelated small requests, some seemingly harmless concessions — once we agree to them, they may affect our self-perception. Once this perception changes, or once we publicly choose a position, we develop a motivation to maintain it.
People who go through great trouble to obtain something value it more than those who get it effortlessly. For example, the harder it is to join a group, the more valuable people consider the group to be, and the more they identify with their membership.
Personal commitment can build a self-justifying system that finds reasons for the initial commitment. This is the most terrifying aspect and also the easiest to exploit. Even if the initial bait is withdrawn, people will still stick to the decision they have made, because during that time they have already found enough reasons to support it. The way to break free is to ask yourself: “Knowing what you know now, if you could turn back time, would you make the same choice?”
Social Proof
95% of people prefer to follow what others do, especially people similar to themselves. This trait can be used for good, such as in autism therapy, but its truly terrifying aspect is when it is used for harm.
We are most likely to think others’ behavior is correct when we ourselves are uncertain, the situation is unclear, or unexpected. The bystander effect (pluralistic ignorance) shows that the more people there are, the less likely anyone is to help. One reason is that everyone assumes someone else will help, so responsibility is diffused and no one steps up. Another reason is that when the situation is unclear, everyone prefers to appear calm, covertly glancing at those around them and quietly searching for cues. Each person concludes that since no one seems concerned, there must not be a problem. Therefore, the best solution in an emergency is to single out one person from the crowd, look them in the eye, and clearly explain what is happening and what help you need. It also shows that when multiple people are responsible for something, no one wants to take responsibility.
Another terrifying phenomenon brought about by imitation is the “Werther effect.” In areas where suicide news receives high exposure, suicide rates and accident rates surge, making people feel that the idea of suicide is more justified. Statistics show that three to four days after suicide news reports, flight accidents and traffic fatalities peak; another wave of peaks occurs about a week later. The Werther effect subsides around the 11th day, so be especially careful when traveling during these periods.
No leader can single-handedly persuade everyone, but a strong leader can persuade a considerable proportion of a group. The mere fact that these people have been persuaded is itself enough to convince the remaining members.
Liking
We are more likely to comply with requests made by people we like.
Physical Attractiveness
Good-looking people have tremendous social advantages. They are more persuasive and receive help more frequently.
Similarity
We like people who are similar to ourselves. But this is easily exploited — people may pretend to share the same background or interests as you to achieve certain goals.
Compliments
The mere fact that someone “likes us” may be enough to make us reciprocate with goodwill and agree to their requests.
Contact and Cooperation
We tend to prefer familiar things, but only if we do not already dislike them. Continuous contact with a person or thing under unpleasant conditions (frustration, competition, conflict) actually reduces our liking for it. The remedy is to artificially create a cooperative environment.
Cooperation can also be exploited. For example, a salesperson may appear to argue forcefully with the boss on your behalf; or the “good cop, bad cop” technique used in interrogations. Combined with the contrast principle and the reciprocity principle, these tactics make suspects more inclined to confess to the “good cop.”
Conditioning and Association
People generally dislike those who bring bad news, because we associate our feelings with the messenger. Similarly, merchants like to associate their products with things we like to boost sales. The same goes for food — people tend to feel more favorably toward people or things they encounter during a meal.
Another very common phenomenon is that people always try every possible means to associate themselves with successful people and avoid relationships with failures. The lower a person’s sense of self-worth or prestige, the more likely they are to do this. Unable to pursue honor through their own achievements, they can only salvage their dignity by boasting about their connections to successful people. In contrast, people who take pride in their own achievements are less inclined to bask in others’ reflected glory and are less likely to experience major emotional fluctuations due to others’ successes or failures.
The way to counteract the influence of liking is also simple: detach. Be wary of intense emotions that arise in a short period (whether positive or negative), detach from them as quickly as possible, and focus your attention on the essence of the matter rather than the image that someone is forcing you to associate with it.
Authority
Obeying authority has its good side. Following the advice of authority can sometimes help us make the right decisions and save the time needed for thinking. But convenience inevitably comes with the possibility of exploitation.
Titles
Titles influence others’ behavior more than the essence of the person who holds them. Titles not only make strangers behave more deferentially, but also make the title holder appear taller. Interestingly, due to genetic instincts, this “taller” is literal physical height. Yes, people instinctively believe there is a link between physical stature and status.
Clothing
People generally associate uniforms or suits with authority. For example, they are more willing to comply with requests from people in uniform, and a person in a suit running a red light can get more people to follow.
Status Symbols
Things like luxury brands, name-brand watches, and luxury cars can earn people special respect. For example, when a luxury car blocks an intersection, people are much less likely to honk their horns.
In fact, all compliance strategies target people’s tendency to avoid thinking, and the solution is always the same: think more. For example, when facing “authority,” we can ask ourselves: “Is this a true expert? Is this expert telling the truth?”
Scarcity
Scarcity Makes Things Valuable
The fear of losing something motivates people more than the desire to gain something. Some merchants exploit this trait by using “limited quantity” or “deadline” tactics.
Reactance
Banned information not only makes us want it more, but also leads us to evaluate it more favorably. This may lead to another situation: if someone holds an unpopular position on an issue, the most advantageous course of action for them is not to publicly promote that position, but to get their information banned and then publicize the fact that it was banned — this may actually win people’s support.
Additionally, according to the scarcity principle, if we feel we cannot obtain a piece of information elsewhere, we will consider it more persuasive.
Optimal Conditions
Compared with chronic shortage, a shift from abundance to scarcity is more likely to spur people into action. For example, those most likely to revolt are not the most oppressed lower classes, but those who have tasted a good life and then had it taken away — such as after a period of stable development followed by a sudden regression. Another example: parents who are inconsistent in discipline are most likely to raise children with strong reactance, because the children have tasted freedom, and having it suddenly taken away will inevitably provoke resistance.
The presence of competitors increases our desire for something. For example, faced with an indecisive customer, a fabricated new buyer can close the deal. At clearance sales or auctions, as long as the atmosphere makes people anxious and restless, it impairs their ability to think, making them forget what they actually want and blindly compete with others.
How to avoid it? One way is to recognize the signs of heightened emotion — once you realize your emotions are running high, calm yourself down promptly. Another is to ask yourself what you really want to gain. If you care about the added value of a scarce item — social, psychological — then by all means acquire it. But if you only care about its practical value, then remember: an item does not become better tasting, better looking, or more useful simply because it is scarce.
