• About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Thor Simonsen

6 Dangerous Weapons of Influence (and How to Defend Yourself Against Them)

2016-01-31 by thorsimonsen

influence-170Many of the decisions we make are not our own. Due to the profit motive, Compliance Professionals (CPs) have been studying the art of influence for hundreds of years.

The ability to make someone comply to a request is a very potent form of power, and, depending on how it is used, it can be either very beneficial or extremely dangerous.

 

The reason the methods are effective is that they utilize naturally-occurring forces of nature. The author describes these ‘Weapons of Influence’ in detail, explaining how they work, examples from everyday life, and ways we can protect ourselves against them.

Here are the 6 most important concepts to understand:

 

1. Mental Shortcuts

In order for people to function in an ever-increasingly complex world, our brains are forced to take mental shortcuts; we simplify in order to navigate the massive sea of information. We rely on ‘rules of thumb’ we know to be true most of the time. Unfortunately, CPs know how to exploit this ‘laziness’ for maximum profit.

 

Price = Quality

If people had to fully understand all aspects of the products they purchased, they wouldn’t have time to do anything else. Instead, people tend to fall back on the idea that the price of something is representative of its quality. Although this is often true, it can also be used to make something “appear” higher quality than it actually is.

 

Social Proof

“If other people are doing it, then it must be correct.” In general, this kind of mental shortcut can be very time-saving. However, it can also be very dangerous; blind, mindless adherence to such a rule helps explain canned laughter, mob mentality, and mass suicides.

 

Authority

Taking the advice of professionals, experts, doctors, and other people of authority, although often correct, can also be dangerous. Authority can easily be faked and utilized in order to make you respond in a certain way. Things like titles, clothes, and other symbols of authority can be used to dupe people into compliance.

 

2. Perceptual Contrast

Whenever presented with two different offers, one before the other, differences between them will be exaggerated due to the principle of perceptual contrast. Salesmen, therefore, often show a potential customer a grossly overpriced product first, only to show them a “moderately-priced” second item, which will suddenly seem very affordable.

 

3. Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the willingness of people to return the behaviour which they are shown. For example, if someone gives you a gift, you will feel compelled to return the favour. This function is built into the human psyche as a way to promote collaboration. It is a major reason why humans have evolved to become the dominant species.

CPs often use reciprocity to take advantage of potential customers. Examples could include a free gift, sample, cup of coffee, trial membership, or even just a flower. The preemptive gift-giving will (consciously or subconsciously) cause you to want to return the favour.

A simple way to defend yourself against having reciprocity used on you is to become aware whenever a person is giving you something for free and has any sort of financial interested vested in you, immediately or in the future.

 

4. Consistency

People like to live up the image they have of themselves. For example, if you say to someone, “My friends told me that you were kind”, the person you’re speaking to is more likely to behave in a kind manner.  (This example also employs the reciprocity by giving them a gift of a compliment.)

Many industries use this principle to sell more product. For example, the toy industry will advertise a particular toy heavily (Nintendo64s, Ferbies, etc.), encouraging parents to make promises to their kids to get it for them the toy. They then undersupply the stores with that toy, forcing the parents to buy alternate gifts. After Christmas, the industry begins re-advertising the toy. In an effort to stay consistent with the self-image of someone who follows through on their promise, the parents buy the toy. The principle of consistency effectively forces parents to spend twice as much money on toys.

 

5. Likability

We’re much more likely to buy from someone we like, and there are many ways to increase likability.

 

Attractiveness

Studies show that, on average, we consistently underestimate the bias we have towards attractive people. These people are considered to be smarted, kinder, more trustworthy, and so forth. CPs take advantage of this fact by using beautiful people to advertise their product, be their spokes person, etc.

 

Similarity

We are more likely to take the word of someone who is similar to us. This is why advertisements show people “just like us” who are endorsing the product. Even if this person is obviously an actor paid to promote the product, the fact that they seem similar to us and seem to enjoy the product propels us to buy the product.

 

Familiarity

The more often we are exposed to something, in a positive way, the more likely we are to like it. This explains why we chose known brands over generic products. For example, we buy Tylenol instead of the generic-brand equivalent, Acetaminophen, even though it is more expensive.

 

Association

Things associated with powerful ideas, people, places, etc. are more likely to make us buy something. For example, a product endorsed by a celebrity often sell very well because of its positive association to him or her. Likewise, this explains why people often hate weathermen in cold regions, as they associate them with bad or destructive weather (which explains the timeless maxim, “don’t kill the messenger”).

 

6. Scarcity

Originally an evolutionary advantage, sensitivity to loss aversion is now commonly exploited by CPs. A common method of compliance is by fabricating scarcity. This can be done by implementing a limit on time (“available for a limited time only”), quantities (“while supplies last”), editions (“deluxe version”), and so on. Ironically, the banning of books, ideas, or art, often makes it more attractive to potential customers.

 

Conclusion

These are only a few of the methods described in this book. In combining these principles in different ways, CPs have a powerful formula for making people comply to their requests.

Their power lies in the people’s ignorance to them, and the best way to defend against them is to raise our awareness.

In his description of the principles, the author stresses the need to remain optimistic and have faith in people. The principles are naturally-occurring methods of influence, and, although it might not seem like it, not everybody is out to trick you and take your money all the time.

But many are – so be aware.

Posted in: Blog Tagged: books, influence, psychology, sales, selling

Recent Posts

  • Make Music, Not Mines.
  • 10 Favourite Books of 2019
  • Favourite Books of 2018
  • The Power of Meditation
  • My Favourite Books of 2016 (and Their Lessons)
  • Everything We Know About Healthy Food is Wrong
  • The Body Keeps the Score
  • How High Achievers Manage Energy
  • The Magic of Thinking Big
  • Why Arnold Schwarzenegger is Awesome
  • How the Music Industry Works Today
  • Working Less Will Increase Your Productivity
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Understanding Nunavut’s Sealing Industry
  • The Moral Duty of Personal Privilege
  • Nunavut’s Progress Paradox – Analyzing the Results of the Land Referendum
  • Understanding Nunavut’s Complex Airline Industry
  • Pros and Cons of the Nunavut Land Referendum
  • Be True to Yourself (Even If It Hurts)
  • How I Manage Depression (without Drugs or Alcohol)
  • Donald Trump & The Death of Critical Thinking
  • What Do Real Millionaires Look Like?
  • How to Communicate with Meaning in Mind
  • Secrets of the Professional Artist
  • Future Memoirs of a Successful Life
  • Why You’re Still Single (and What You Can Do About It)
  • 6 Dangerous Weapons of Influence (and How to Defend Yourself Against Them)
  • How I Travel the World (4 Months a Year) Without Going Broke or Getting Fired
  • My Favourite Books of 2015 (and Their Lessons)
  • How to Manage the Animal Inside You
  • How to Give A Squirting Orgasm (and Why It’s Awesome)
  • 4 Amazing Benefits of Fasting
  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Millionaire
  • This Is Why You Aren’t Rich (Yet)
  • How to Do Less and Get More Done
  • Become Stronger When Times Are Hard
  • How to Become the Best in the World (at the Right Thing)
  • What Makes a Leader (and His or Her Team) Great?
  • Don’t Go to College (It’s Probably Not Worth It)
  • Why Good Will Always Prevail
  • How You Feel Is Not Who You Are
  • Expand Your Sexual Repertoire (Insights for Straight Men)
  • 33 Ways to Stay Safe in the Future
  • How to Make Better Choices
  • 3 Ways To Find Meaning in Life
  • Why Fortune Favors the Bold (Entrepreneur)
  • Shit Happens (and That’s a Good Thing)
  • Why Knowing Yourself is the Key to Life
  • A Super Cute Metaphor for Creating Value
  • Is an MBA worth it?
  • We Literally Need Friends to Survive
  • The Power of a Contrarian View
  • Sexual Monogamy is Unnatural
  • Why the World Needs More Women in Power
  • Top 10 Most Influential Books of 2014
  • Test Post

Copyright © 2023 Thor Simonsen.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall