Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion has been an international hit since it was first published 25 years ago. So much so that Dr. Robert Cialdini, social psychologist, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, and the recipient of a number of scientific research awards, had to update and revise the book and publish a brand-new edition.
Bob provides a glimpse behind the scenes of our minds, helping us better understand cognitive biases and automatic behavior patterns.
As he puts it, “[not understanding our automatic patterns] makes us terribly vulnerable to anyone who does know how they work.”
The psychology of getting people to say yes impacts every area of our lives, from how we spend and what we buy, to how we vote.
Bob shares fascinating research data about the power of psychological persuasion including that voting in a church sways Republican, and voting in a school sways Democratic … such a simple research finding that has profound implications.
Some other topics include:
- the human brain/mind, for all the unbelievable complexity and mystery, can also be somewhat simple in that it thinks it needs to decide things quickly and efficiently, in a sort-of black-and-white way;
- how to persuade the public to take science seriously regarding Covid-19 vaccinations.
The more we understand our own minds and how to manage the feedback loop of our thoughts, emotions, and actions, the better able we are to live consciously, making intentional choices for ourselves and our community.
We also become more adept at increasing our influence on those things that most matter to us.
This fascinating conversation with Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, takes place over two podcasts; be sure and download the 2nd show, as well.
Dr. Robert Cialdini’s website here
Dr. Melanie Harth’s website here
