INFLUENCE — How to understand and manipulate Human Psychology

Everyone wants to know how people are convinced, manipulated, and motivated.

If the answer is Yes ...

We are talking about the Art of Influence!!!

What is Influence

A method where someone convinces, manipulates, and motivates others to achieve an agenda or motive. It can be positive or negative.

Influence is important in Life

Influence shifts your life from point A to point B.

When you walk on the road and see a shiny new car, you are influenced by the car's owner. When you drive a new car, you also influence other road users.

Even if you drive ultra-luxury cars, people avoid their cars near your car.

So everyone is influenced by different means.

6 Principles of Influence

Four years ago, my friend recommended reading the book. Influence: Psychology of Persuasion, written by the psychologist Robert Cialdini. In his experiment, he noted that people were influenced by 6 techniques.

They are:

6 Principles of Influence

Scarcity

If something is less or rarely available, people consider it important and scarce.

For example:

• Diamond is expensive than Coal.

• Limited Time Offers and Discounts

• A passport of a country where the population is less

“Our typical reaction to scarcity hinders our ability to think.” — Robert Cialdini

Reciprocity

People are always willing to reply when they receive something. It's a human tendency to return the favor.

For example

• Family Dinners between relatives

• When you taste a food in an ice cream shop, you feel obliged to buy

• When people share hard news in a group on social media

“Be as precise as possible about your need for aid.” — Robert Cialdini

Social Proof

People learn/observe each other and follow group dynamics. It means when a difficult decision is being made, they look at how others behave or perform.

For example:

• Customer Testimonials

• Google reviews

• Public Voting

Consistency

People are always consistent or follow the same routine. For example

For example:

• Open the same mobile application daily

• Use the same route to go office

• Daily posting on social media

“Often we don’t realize that our attitude toward something has been influenced by the number of times we have been exposed to it in the past.” — Robert Cialdini

Liking

People are always biased towards those whom they like in person because they have similarities.

For example:

• People who speak the same language generally group together

• People who listen are always liked by the majority.

• People liked some people due to their beauty.

Authority

People follow those who have some authority, such as experience, credentials, or a uniform.

For example:

• Dentists in white coats promote toothpaste

• Airline employees wear uniforms to remind us of their authority,

• Email signatures with qualifications

“Our best evidence of what people truly feel and believe comes less from their words than from their deeds.” — Robert Cialdini

How do I figure them out in  my life

You are already influenced by reading this paragraph.

If you read the above statement, it means you were influenced. It means I was persuaded to read further. Because I used the liking/consistency principle of influence.

I figured out when a friend messaged me in a WhatsApp group and I responded, which is RECIPROCITY. I understand the principles and stop replying to each message that comes as forwarded.

From that day, I stopped responding to every forwarded message on WhatsApp.

Persuasion in Tech, Marketing, and Finance

4 examples influence us in daily life.

Tech:

When you see a video of a specific genre, such as a Quantum Computer. You will see all videos related to Quantum computers on TikTok. It uses the Liking principle.

Marketing:

Reviews and customer testimonials are examples of social proof.

Finance:

Bombardment of ads related to stock investing and returns is also an example of scarcity.

Cybersecurity:

A phishing email from the CFO to process payment is an example of authority.

2 core human psychology factors affect them

Two deeper-level human psychology factors are also divided by these principles.

• Fear (Scarcity, Authority, Liking)

• Greed (Social Proof, Consistency, Reciprocity)

Conclusion

We have two lives!!!

One: Job or Business. In the job, the boss influences you to complete his agenda by saying you will get a promotion. I usually never accept because nothing is confirmed in this life. In case of business people, tell them to buy at a discount of 30%. If you do market research, you may get the same item lower cost than the discount price.

Example: When I want to buy something, I check Amazon, Alibaba before making a decision. I figured out that items on Amazon that are 50 AED are generally available at AED 10 or 15 on Alibaba. It’s only the branding that convinces us to buy from Amazon at the same quality.

Second: In Personal life, we usually influence family members with qualifications and position. This is the Authority Principle.

Example: I always tell my friends about cybersecurity tactics and computer-related stuff. Because I have experience and qualifications in IT Audit.

Stay tuned next time.