My full notes/highlights from “Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.” :  Influence

Great read for EVERYBODY. I have read Dr. Cialdini’s remarks and Youtube clips. I appreciate his scientific and biological study of how we humans responded to specific triggers.

As typical in this type of book, the principles seem so obvious after reading. However, it was helpful to have them all explained in different chapters.

I have tried to use some of the material in how I think about both my personal and professional life. Especially drawn to the research on social proof. We are all guilty of going into Amazon and looking for the “most popular” item in a category rather than doing research on our own. Short-cuts are amazingly efficient and powerful.

Key points:

– We feel indebted to repay gifts, favors, etc – by buying more trinkets from places like Flyp, which are then, in turn, need to be repaid with another gift.

– When we make a commitment, we tend to stay committed to our stand.

– We imitate, especially when we are uncertain. “Social Proof”, humans prefer “shortcusts”, i.e., “best-selling” “most popular”.

– We like to be flattered. Praise doesn’t have to be accurate to work.

– We want something we can’t have or that is running out. The joy is in possessing rather how important something is to us.