This is a set of highly summarized informaiton I took from a book I read on influence. Nothing is
quotes, it is all my original summarization. I put it here so I can read over it every now and then
to refresh myself (since falling for some tricks is literally human nature), but you are welcome to
read it too (which I guess you assumed since you are reading this).
The book this comes from is "Influence: the psychology of persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini.
You can find his book on Amazon by clicking the picture to the right.
1. Contrast Principal
Showing something expensive, then something less expensive makes the less expensive thing seem cheaper.
By Contrast, even though the less expensive thing is still more than the person really wants to pay,
it does not seem as expensive because of the outrageous price of the first item, so they convince
themselves it’s not that expensive.
Examples:
1. Stores show expensive items first, then slightly less expensive, then even less, etc.
2. Sell main item, then show accessories (car dealers for instance)
2. Reciprocity Rule
Idea that if someone gives us something which we interpret as a gift,
we owe them and must gives something back. The "gift" also applies to Concessions
(rejection then retreat technique) when bargaining for something.
Examples:
1. Krishnas giving worthless flowers as gifts, then asking for donation.
2. Study where person gives coke, asks for them to buy raffle tickets yeilding 5x tickets sold.
3. Boyscout selling big items, then little chocolate bars.
4. Reagan advisor selling idea to do illegal stuff, 3rd concession got approved.
3. Consistency Rule
Idea that a person will bend their actions or their self-perceptions to be consistent with their
previous commitments or previous actions.
Examples:
1. Toy companies: under-stock gifts so you buy them after xmas to fulfill obligations to kids
2. Chinese POW camps – make them write it down to they believe it. Make it public. People will believe that you meant what you wrote even if you were forced to write it.
3. Sign petition to keep State beautiful, and then agree for a "drive safely" billboard in yard – small agreements can change how you view yourself.
4. Social Proof
Idea that a person will do as others do when they are uncertain of how to think/act.
They will follow others like them that take action even when it is the wrong action.
Examples:
1. Cult where UFOs did not come, turning to social proof to fill the void left from their belief being proven wrong (making others believe makes it more true).
2. Murder where bystanders all stand by and do nothing
3. Cult where people all moved to South America and committed suicide.
4. Car/Plane Crash rates going up after publicized suicide story.
5. Liking / Association Principle
Idea that a person will do as others do when they are uncertain of how to think/act.
They will follow others like them that take action even when it is the wrong action.
Examples:
1. Tupperware parties – You feel bad saying no to your friends, or not buying something when the benefit from part of the sales (especially after they feed you).
2. Sports Fans – Association with team is "we" when winning, "they" when loosing because their personal ego rises/falls through team association.
3. We are more favorable to things we’ve had contact with (past friends, hometown, etc)
4. Jigsaw Classroom – Students work together and like one another when working together and when they depend on one another (scout camp experiment)
5. Good Cop/Bad Cop – Liking the cop, and seeing them as on "our side" makes us like them and work with them.
6. Weathermen – Get angry people at them for reporting bad weather.
6. Authority Principle
We will follow authority, even if it is only perceived authority and not real.
Examples:
1. Milgram’s experiment with people getting shocked and crying out to stop
2. Nurses not checking doctor’s results – giving eardrops in rectum
3. Commercial’s with actor who plays a doctor giving medical advice
4. Waiter giving advice against something to gain authority as knowledgeable on the menu
5. Professor not telling his profession because people treat him differently.
Protect Against By:
1. First, ask yourself "Is this Authority truly an expert"
2. Second, ask yourself "How truthful can we expect the expert to be here?"
7. Scarcity Principle
We will value things we think are scarce more, and believe information we think is scarce
or forbidden from us.
Examples:
1. Visit to Mormon temple ad, for limited time only
2. Boiler room scam
a. first call is informational
b. second call describes potential profits, but says "too late to invest"
c. third call is rushed option for the person to "get in on the deal"
6. People will defy attempts to limit their freedoms, and even have more favorable views on the items being banned/limited with no real basis.
a. terrible twos
b. jurors value information they are told to "disregarded" by the judge more
c. Romeo and Juliet effect
d. porn more wanted by youths because it is banned
7. Beef salesmen made information of "scarce beef supply" exclusive, and customers bought 6 times as much because the information was also scarce.
8. We want scarce things even more if they are made scarce after having them and were not always scarce. We want the more than anything if they were made scarce because of competition for them scarce item/information (cookie study, riots after getting rights).
9. Auction for tv show: people bid much higher than they meant to because of competition
Protect Against By:
1. First, recognize that you are more involved/excited than normal
2. Second, remember that the cookie didn’t taste any better because it was scarce. People only desired it more and would pay more for it, but they rated it tasting the same.
