Book of the Week: Influence
06 Aug 2016
I was told that I can’t keep using violence to persuade people, so I read Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. You can persuade people by taking advantage of psychological shortcuts that people take when they can not assess the entire situation. Dr. Cialdini also gives ways to say no to persuasion.
In short, we should be willing to boycott, threat, confrontation, censure, tirade, nearly anything, to retaliate.
Weapons of Influence
Upon receiving the prescription, the duty nurse promptly put the required number of ear drops into the patient’s anus.
Influence will make people do things that don’t make sense, but they are compelled to do so.
- Reciprocation - if I give you something, you are likely to return the favor, because you don’t want to owe me anything.
- Commitment -if I said I supported Trump, anything he saids or does won’t make me change my mind, because I already voiced my preference.
- Consistency - My view of the world needs to be consistent, so I’ll interpret and believe things that are consistent with that view even when presented with evidence counteracting my view. I don’t want my world to shattered by data.
- Social Proof -people are like sheep, they’ll do whatever other people do.
- Liking - if I like you because of physical attractiveness, similarity, compliments, contact or conditioning, I will more likely be influenced.
- Authority - people will obey authority figures enough to kill someone.
- Scarcity - you can prey on people’s fear of missing out.
If you saw me on the street, you would think I look like a sucker. The last time I encountered a Hare Krishna, he tried to give me a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and ask for a donation. I was a poor college student at the time. I already had already read the Bhagavad Gita for class. One could bet I knew more about the contents of the Bhagavad Gita than the person giving me the book. I was going to sell the copy I was given on eBay to pay for my college since there is nothing as valuable as educating yourself. He had the audacity to take the book back and gave me a flyer instead. You don’t ask for something back you gave away for free. When I was in my youth, I was deceived and swindled a lot by most of these techniques. Most of these psychological shortcuts are good to help you survive as a member of a community, because wanting to be liked by people usually helps you survive in the wild. But wanting to be liked is a weakness. I’m reminded of a story about a women who gets scammed repeatedly, but she lives a happy life in ignorant bliss. I live my life thinking everyone is out to screw me, which leaves a person quite isolated and alone. We all for persuasion techniques, but if knowing them can prevent me from falling for it once in the future, then reading this book is worth it. Purchase Influence on Amazon.com or check it out from your local library.