One Sentence Summary
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The book talks about various psychological tactics used by compliance practitioners to influence us into saying yes to something to which ideally, we would have said no.
Best Quotes
“Embarrassment is a villain to be crushed.”
“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. —WALTER LIPPMANN”
“Freedoms once granted will not be relinquished without a fight.”
“People seem to be more motivated by the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value.”
Key Takeaways
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Reciprocity - Simply put, people are obliged to give back to others the form of a behavior, gift, or service that they have received first.
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Scarcity - It is with the principle that people need to know what they are potentially missing out on if they fail to act.
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Authority - A great example would be that of advertisers of pharmaceutical products: often a doctor is seen promoting their products to help drive a level of authority.
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Consistency - People like to be consistent with the things they have previously said or done. Consistency is activated by looking for, and asking for, small initial commitments that can be made.
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Liking - Few people would be surprised to learn that, as a rule, we most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we know and like. What might be startling to note, however, is that this simple rule is used in hundreds of ways by total strangers to get us to comply with their requests.
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Consensus – Especially when they are uncertain, people will look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own.
About author
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Robert Cialdini (born April 27, 1945) is the Regents´ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
