Influence: Discover the psychology behind the art of persuasion

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information please read my disclaimer.

The art of persuasion is like a superpower that is constantly used and highly sought after in the modern world. Whether to navigate working life or just more easily agree on a place to eat out, influencing others is a skill we can all benefit from developing.

Below, I’ll summarise the psychological factors behind persuasion covered in the book, not only to help you understand what influences people but so you have the knowledge to recognise when people are trying to use these tactics against you.

But first, it’s important to understand how we make decisions

How we make decisions

The human brain likes to take shortcuts where possible and when trying to make a decision and presented with multiple pieces of information we tend to respond automatically to one ‘main’ piece of information – what Robert Cialdini calls click, run responding.

In contrast, considering all the information available is called controlled responding. We only use controlled responding when there is the desire and ability to analyse all the information, otherwise, we tend to use click, run responses.

In other words, if you have some stake in the outcome then you are likely to be more attentive to the information presented. Otherwise, you’ll react instinctively based on the most prominent piece of information.

This makes evolutionary sense as we don’t have to conduct a full analysis every time we make a decision, saving time, energy, and mental capacity. The disadvantage is we are more susceptible to silly and costly mistakes as decisions are based on only a piece of the available information. This is especially dangerous when people are trying to profit off us by attempting to manipulate us into reacting in a click, run manner.

Most of us have developed a set of instinctive reactions to triggers that lead us to using click, run responses.

These are:

• Reciprocation
• Liking
• Social Proof
• Authority
• Scarcity
• Commitment and Consistency
• Unity

… and can be used to influence others.

Let’s explore them in more detail below.

Reciprocation

The rule of reciprocation says that we should try to repay what another person has provided us. This is so strong that if someone does a favour for us, whether we like them or not, we feel obligated to repay that favour. Let me repeat – we feel obligated to reciprocate favours even to people we don’t like.

Next time you want someone’s favour, do them a favour first. It will sit in their head that they owe you one.

What is the best way to defend against the rule of reciprocation? For example, if you’re being sold something, accept any initial favours (such as free food or gifts) in good faith. But if the other party then tries to get something out of you, reframe those favours as sales tactics. Thinking of them as tools used by the other person rather than favours will shift the narrative in your mind and you will no longer feel obligated to return the favour by buying something from them.

Liking

Perhaps the most obvious of all the factors of influence it’s easier to be persuaded by someone we like. While there is nuance in how this works, broadly, there are some truths:

• Attractive people have an advantage in social interactions. There is a halo effect wherein we assign other traits to them such as talent, kindness, intelligence. As a result, attractive individuals are more persuasive in getting what they want and changing people’s minds.
• We like people that are similar to us. We’re more willing to say yes to their requests.
• We love being praised. What is especially effective is praising people to others behind their back and praising behaviour you want to reinforce, known as altercasting.
• Increased familiarity through repeated, positive, interaction increases liking. Try and work on something with someone and if you have success together they will like you a lot!
• By associating ourselves with positive events we can gain an element of its liking. This is regularly used by politicians, advertisers and merchandisers who try and associate themselves with positive images and distance themselves from negative ones.

Likeability is a good trait to have regardless but using the above can help boost people’s positive feelings towards you. If you’re liked, it’ll be easier to ask for favours and increase your clout.

Social Proof

“When people are free to do as they please they usually imitate one another”

Eric Hoffer

The principle of social proof is that people decide how to act or what to believe based on what others are doing or believing. This is why we look at online reviews before purchasing an item, even though they’ve been written by strangers. If lots of people are saying something is good then it grows in popularity.

Social proof is particularly effective under three conditions.

1. In times of uncertainty. When we don’t know what to do we look to others to guide our actions.
2. When lots of people are behaving in a certain way. People are more likely to follow a large group as it indicates that the action must be correct/valid, feasible, and socially acceptable. If you came across a crowd staring at the sky, chances are you will also look up.
3. We believe in the opinions and actions of those most similar to us, especially our peers.

n times of uncertainty, if many people similar to you act in a certain way, you will likely follow their lead. This is the basis of the unfortunate Jonestown Mass Suicide.

Authority

We listen to those we consider authority figures.

This was best shown in the Milgrim Experiment where a subject was told by a researcher in a white coat to administer stronger and stronger electric shocks to a stranger in another room despite the stranger crying out in pain.

Both the stranger and the researcher were actors and there was no actual electric shock but the subject was unaware of this and despite thinking they were causing someone real harm, almost everyone complied because the directive was given by an authority figure.

This deference of authority has been conditioned into us by society as the correct way to behave. It is also a decision making shortcut as legitimate authority usually possess high levels of knowledge, influence and power.

Interestingly, we react to symbols of authority rather than actual substance. These symbols can take the form of titles, clothes, or possessions such as fancy cars. In studies, people with these symbols were given more deference and subjects also underestimated how much they would be influenced by these symbols of authority. You see this in the workplace. When the boss opens their mouth, everyone shuts up and listens.

The best way to avoid automatically giving undue compliance to what seems to be an authority figure is to ask two questions:

• Is this authority truly an expert?
• How truthful do we expect this expert to be?

The first shift our attention away from symbols to evidence for authority status. The second asks if this knowledgeable individual can be trusted.

Scarcity

Have you ever bought something because stocks were low or there was a deadline before the offer was gone? This is the scarcity principle at work.

It’s based on the maxim that we assign more value to opportunities that are less available. This is because the lack of availability serves as a mental shortcut indicating quality, and as risk-averse creatures, we don’t want to lose something that could be useful to us.

It’s difficult to overcome the effect of the scarcity principle because it arouses an emotional response in us, making rational thinking difficult. The best thing to do in times when you feel like pouncing on an offer is to take a moment, step back, and consider whether it is something you truly need and want or simply a reaction to scarcity.

Remember, scarce items don’t necessarily feel, taste, or perform better. If you plan on gaining pleasure by using a scarce item you might want to think again.

Commitment and Consistency

We desire to be (and appear) consistent in our words, beliefs and actions. Once we make a choice or take a stand, we face personal and socail commitment to think and behave consistently with that choice.

There are three major benefits to this:

• Good personal consistency is valued by society.
• Consistent conduct provides a beneficial and practical approach to daily life.
• Being consistent allows a useful shortcut in the modern age. Instead of evaluating all the information in a given situation, you can simply refer back to your decision the last time you were faced with a similar situation and respond consistently with it.

Commitments are most powerful when they are active, public, effortful, and voluntary. These change a person’s self-image which is then difficult to go against.

For example, if trying to lose weight or get fitter, making a public commitment and sharing your progress makes it much harder to not work towards your goal. If anyone asks you to go for a run you will be more likely to say yes as the activity is consistent with the image of yourself that you’ve shared with the world.

Unity

People say yes to someone they consider one of them. The shared identity that dictates this tribe-like sense of unity can be ethnicity, nationality, family and even political and religious affiliations.

People care more about the welfare and outcomes of those in their tribe. They use the preferences and actions of fellow members to guide their own, and are more likely behave in ways that benefit the tribe over others people.

A sense of unity can be created in many ways including shared experience, shared perspectives, and even having mutual enemies! By focussing on these connections we can create a stronger bond with others. It’s why you can feel a sense of unity with people you work closely with. You’re on the same page and working towards the same goal.

Conclusion

I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s covered in Influence. There are deeper applications of the above levers of influence as well as further interesting concepts. These include as perceptual contrasting (the reason why home buyers are shown some not-so-nice properties before one they might actually like) and how negative reviews actually increase the credibility of online products!

Although this is a lot of information, understanding these concepts could make you a master influencer and be better equipped against people trying to do one over on you by using these tactics immortally.

Definitely grab a copy of Influence to get the full breakdown and applications of all of the above concepts. It’s one of the most interesting and practical books I’ve read. Once you learn about them, you see these strategies being used everywhere.

Also, needless to say, don’t use these tactics to deceive others. Knowledge is power and power should be used responsibly. Thanks for reading!