6 unethical Psychological tricks that should be illegal //Robert Cialdini - PRE - suasion

Summary

This video delves into the psychology of persuasion, revealing subtle tactics that can influence behavior without conscious awareness. It discusses various experiments, such as the impact of a flower store on giving out phone numbers and the effect of carrying a guitar case on dating success. The video also explores how visual cues and words can subconsciously alter decisions, like the use of 'million dollars' to make a $75,000 price seem reasonable. It emphasizes ethical applications of these principles, providing practical tips for persuasion while warning against their misuse.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The subconscious mind is highly susceptible to persuasion tactics that can influence behavior without conscious awareness.
• 💐 Context and environmental cues, such as being in front of a flower store, can subconsciously impact decision-making, making people more likely to take risks like giving out their phone number.
• 🎸 Objects like a guitar case can serve as powerful subconscious signals, making people more receptive to requests like going on a date.
• 🛋️ Visual cues in e-commerce can direct consumer behavior; for example, images of clouds can lead buyers to focus on comfort, while images of coins can make them focus on price.
• 💬 The strategic use of language, such as mentioning an extreme price before stating the actual price, can reset expectations and reduce price negotiation.
• 🏃‍♂️ Asking people if they consider themselves adventurous before introducing a new product can increase their willingness to try it, tapping into their self-image.
• 🤝 The principle of unity, or shared identity, can significantly increase trust and compliance, as demonstrated by using familial language to persuade.
• 🌱 The analogy of planting a seed emphasizes the importance of 'preparing the soil' (setting the right context) before delivering a message for maximum impact.
• 🔑 Practical tips for applying persuasion include giving products to family members, asking for advice instead of opinions, and aligning the timing of requests with positive feedback or achievements.
• 🛠️ The environment and mindset can be manipulated through decor, music, and preparatory conversation to make people more receptive to certain messages or actions.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the book 'Persuasion' discussed in the video?

The main theme of the book 'Persuasion' is the ease with which people can be subconsciously manipulated using psychological tactics, often without their conscious awareness.

How does the video illustrate the power of subconscious influence using the flower store example?

The video shows that when a handsome man approached women in front of a flower store, they were more likely to give out their phone numbers, suggesting that the association of flowers with romance subconsciously influenced their decision.

What role does the object a person is carrying play in persuasion according to the video?

The video demonstrates that carrying a guitar case, as opposed to other objects, significantly increased the likelihood of women agreeing to a date, implying that certain objects can subconsciously influence people's perceptions and decisions.

How did the background images on an online furniture store's landing page affect customers' choices?

Customers shown a background with clouds focused on comfort and softness, while those shown coins focused on price, indicating that visual cues can subconsciously direct decision-making.

What is the 'Unity' principle mentioned in the video, and how does it work?

The 'Unity' principle refers to the shared identity between the persuader and the person being persuaded. It suggests that people are more likely to agree with or cooperate with someone they perceive as part of their group or sharing a common identity.

How did Warren Buffett use the 'Unity' principle in his communication with shareholders?

Buffett used the 'Unity' principle by framing his advice to shareholders as if he were advising his own family, which made his message more convincing and relatable.

What is the significance of the experiment involving 18-month-old children and the background images of people?

The experiment showed that even 18-month-old children, who lack logical reasoning, were more likely to help when shown a background image of people standing close together, demonstrating the primitive and fundamental nature of subconscious influence.

What are the six practical tips for persuasion shared in the video?

The tips include: 1) Giving products to family members instead of the target person, 2) Using the word 'advice' to create unity, 3) Asking for a raise after receiving positive feedback, 4) Identifying with the group you're persuading, 5) Decorating your environment to match your goals, and 6) Bringing the person to the right mindset before delivering your message.

Why is it important to use persuasion tactics ethically according to the video?

Using persuasion tactics ethically is important because unethical use can lead to a negative work environment and potential backlash. It can also influence employees to adopt similar tactics, which can harm the company and customers in the long run.

How can the concept of 'preparing the soil' be applied to effective persuasion?

The concept of 'preparing the soil' in persuasion refers to setting the right context or mindset before delivering a message. This can involve using visual cues, words, or actions that subconsciously influence the recipient to be more receptive to the message.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Subtle Art of Persuasion

The speaker begins by expressing their growing concern about the ease with which people can be manipulated through psychological tactics. They introduce the book 'Persuasion' and explain how its techniques operate at a subconscious level, often without the target's awareness. An experiment is described where a good-looking man successfully obtains phone numbers from women in a shopping mall, with a higher success rate in front of a flower store, suggesting that the context of flowers, associated with romance, subconsciously influenced the women's decisions. Another experiment involves a man carrying a guitar case, which also positively influenced women's responses to his advances. The speaker emphasizes that these tactics are hidden and operate outside of conscious awareness.

05:00

🌐 The Power of Visual and Verbal Cues in Persuasion

The speaker discusses how visual and verbal cues can significantly impact persuasion. They recount an experiment with an online furniture store where the background image on a landing page influenced buyers' decisions: clouds led to a focus on comfort, while coins directed attention to price. Another example involves a salesperson who, by humorously mentioning an exorbitant price before stating the actual price, reduced price negotiations. The speaker also shares a personal experience where a banker's mention of recommending an investment product to his own mother instilled trust, illustrating the principle of 'Unity' from Robert Cialdini's work. This principle suggests that shared identities can make people more receptive to persuasion.

10:01

🌱 The Role of Identity and Environment in Persuasion

This section delves into how one's identity and environment can be manipulated to enhance persuasiveness. The speaker explains that by associating oneself with certain qualities or groups before delivering a message, one can influence the recipient's behavior. They provide examples, including Warren Buffett's use of familial language to reassure investors and a classroom experiment where parental involvement was significantly increased by framing it as helping a family member. The speaker also discusses the impact of environmental cues, such as images and words, on behavior, suggesting that even subtle changes in one's surroundings can prime individuals for certain actions or attitudes.

15:01

💡 Practical Tips for Ethical Persuasion

The speaker concludes with six practical tips for applying persuasive tactics ethically. They suggest giving free products to clients' families to leverage the principle of unity, using the word 'advice' instead of 'feedback' to create a sense of togetherness, and timing salary negotiations to follow positive work outcomes. The tips also include activating the unity principle by identifying shared identities, using environmental decorations to align with goals, and priming the mindset of others before making a request. The speaker emphasizes the importance of ethical use of these tactics and warns against their unethical application, as it can backfire and create a culture of manipulation. They also advise viewers to be aware of their own susceptibility to such tactics and to take time before responding to requests that may exploit this vulnerability.

Keywords

💡Persuasion

Persuasion refers to the process of influencing someone's behavior or beliefs through various tactics, often without their conscious awareness. In the video, persuasion is the central theme, with the narrator discussing various psychological tactics that can subconsciously affect a person's decisions, such as the impact of a flower store on a woman's willingness to give her phone number to a stranger.

💡Subconscious

The subconscious mind is the part of the human psyche that remains outside of direct awareness but influences behavior and decision-making. The video emphasizes how persuasion tactics work at the subconscious level, like the experiment where the presence of a guitar case influenced women to agree to a date.

💡Manipulation

Manipulation is the act of influencing someone or something in a clever or unscrupulous way, often for one's own advantage. The script discusses how easy it is to manipulate someone using subtle psychological cues, which is a scary realization for the narrator.

💡Visual Cues

Visual cues are non-verbal signals that can influence behavior or emotions. The video gives examples of how visual cues, such as the background images of clouds or coins on a website, can subconsciously direct people's focus towards comfort or price when shopping for furniture.

💡Anchoring

Anchoring is a psychological phenomenon where an individual relies too heavily on an initial piece of information (the 'anchor') when making decisions. In the script, the salesperson uses anchoring by mentioning an absurdly high price before revealing the actual price, making the real price seem more reasonable.

💡Unity

Unity, as discussed in the video, refers to a sense of shared identity or belonging, which can be leveraged to increase the likelihood of agreement or cooperation. The example of Warren Buffett using family as a unity principle to persuade shareholders illustrates this concept.

💡Compliance

Compliance is the act of yielding to a request or following a rule. The video talks about how compliance can be increased through various persuasion techniques, such as asking parents to fill out a questionnaire for their student's benefit, which significantly increased response rates.

💡Influence

Influence is the capacity to have an effect on someone or something. The video's narrative revolves around the different ways influence can be exerted through subtle environmental and psychological cues, shaping behavior without direct coercion.

💡Ethical Persuasion

Ethical persuasion implies using persuasive techniques in a manner that is responsible and respects the autonomy and best interests of the individuals involved. The video stresses the importance of applying persuasion tactics ethically, to avoid exploitation and maintain trust.

💡Mindset

Mindset refers to a set of attitudes and ideas that shape how a person understands and interacts with the world. The video suggests that altering a person's mindset through strategic conversation or environmental cues can make them more receptive to a message or proposal.

💡Vulnerability

Vulnerability in the context of the video refers to the susceptibility of individuals to subconscious influences and persuasion tactics. The narrator aims to raise awareness about these vulnerabilities to help viewers protect themselves from unethical manipulation.

Highlights

Reading books on psychology reveals how easily people can be manipulated.

Persuasion tactics often work subconsciously, bypassing conscious awareness.

An experiment shows that the presence of a flower store influences women to give out their phone numbers more readily.

The object a man carries, like a guitar case, can significantly affect a woman's response to his advances.

Visual cues, such as background images, can sway decision-making in online shopping.

Words can be powerful tools in persuasion, as demonstrated by a salesperson's strategy to mention a high price before quoting the actual lower price.

Marketers can increase compliance by asking people if they consider themselves adventurous before introducing a new product.

A personal example illustrates how the 'Unity' principle can build trust and influence decision-making.

Unity, as explained by Robert Cialdini, is a powerful persuasion principle based on shared identity.

A small incentive can dramatically increase response rates when framed as helping a family member.

Subconscious cues, such as images or words, can significantly impact behavior, even in 18-month-old children.

The environment can be manipulated to influence mindset and behavior.

Practical tips are provided for ethically applying persuasion tactics in various scenarios.

An analogy of planting a seed is used to explain the importance of preparing the 'soil' before delivering a message.

Ethical considerations are emphasized in using persuasion tactics to avoid negative consequences.

The video aims to raise awareness about the susceptibility to influence and provide ways to apply these insights ethically.

Transcripts

today I'm going to summarize another

book on psychology called persuasion

honestly the more books I read on

psychology the more I get scared because

it makes me realize how easy it is to

manipulate someone the scariest part is

that most of these tactics you will hear

in this video are so hidden that your

conscious mind can't catch them it

happens subconsciously they are a bit

like a magic pill you give it to someone

before you talk to them and they start

believing you or behaving differently

they feel like they are in control and

made a conscious decision but they are

not

for example in an experiment they sent a

very good looking guy a model type of

guy to approach a random woman in the

shopping mall and ask for their number

on a date

now giving your phone number to a

complete stranger is a risky thing to do

and of course the guy got a lot of no's

but he got quite some yeses whenever he

approached a woman in front of a

particular store can you guess what type

of store it was

no it wasn't a perfume store or a

chocolate store

it was a flower store

if you look at it flowers are related to

romance and it subconsciously impacted

their behavior and caused them to give

out their number

after the experiment they asked the

participants who gave their numbers if

the store had anything to do with their

decision all responded of course not I

made a conscious decision to give my

number

in a similar experiment again a guy

approached a woman on the street asking

for a date this time researchers were

testing how the results would change

depending on the object the guy was

carrying in his hand at the time he

approached the women

there was one particular object that

brought a lot of yeses can you guess

what that object was

well it was a guitar case

let's look at another example from the

business world there's an interesting

experiment with an online furniture

store researchers directed half of the

buyers to a landing page that had soft

clouds on the background image and half

of the buyers were directed to a page

that had pictures of coins

people who had clouds as a background

picture focused their attention on

choosing Furniture based on softness and

comfort and the people who saw coins is

the first thing when they visited the

page focused on price and tried to find

the cheapest options after the

experiment when they were asked if the

coins or clouds played a role in their

decision all of them laughed and said no

they said they are all independent and

conscious people clouds or coins had

absolutely no impact on them

okay so far both of the experiments were

related to some visual objects how about

using words can we create the same

effect but with words

the answer is yes and here's how A

salesperson was failing to sell his 75

000 product whenever he would mention

the price many clients would try to

negotiate and when they couldn't get the

lower price they wanted they would just

walk away this way the salesperson would

lose a lot of clients then he made a

small change during his presentation

before mentioning the price he would

jokingly say well obviously I can't

charge you a million dollars for this

product

whenever he mentioned this sentence

almost no one tried to negotiate the

price or complained that 75 000 was a

lot of money why because 75 000 seemed

quite a small amount compared to a

million dollars and yes I absolutely

agree with you that jokingly mentioning

a million dollars has nothing to do with

the 75 000 product and it shouldn't

change people's behavior but that's not

the reality the reality is that

subconsciously it impacted people's

perception of the price

in an experiment marketers wanted the

customers to test a new energy drink to

give them feedback many people didn't

agree which is kind of understandable

because the product was new and this

could create resistance so marketers

tried another tactic this time before

making the request they asked people if

they considered themselves to be

adventurous people many of them said yes

they were adventurous and then when they

were offered to try out the new energy

drink they agreed

I would like to give you an example that

happened to me personally once I was

meeting with a banker and somehow we

ended up talking about the investment

products they were offering he described

a few products but none of them got my

attention so I was half listening and

half thinking about when I was going to

leave but then before describing the

next product he said something that made

me wake up lean forward and listen

carefully he said the next product I'm

going to talk about is the one that I

would recommend even to my mother to

invest in as soon as I heard this

sentence I felt strong trust towards him

and the product probably not on purpose

but he activated one of the most

powerful persuasion principles that

Robert cialdini calls Unity

Unity refers to a shared identity that

both the influencer and the influency

are part of the idea that we share an

identity with someone else causes us to

want to say yes to them to a much

greater extent than to someone who's

outside that unit

if a communicator can show that he or

she belongs to the same group as we are

before delivering the message then we

are much more open to cooperating with

that person or believing him or her let

me give an example a big concern of

investors has always been what happens

to Buffett's firm Berkshire Hathaway

when he's no longer in charge in a

letter to shareholders regarding

succession plans Buffett wrote I will

tell you what I would say to my family

today if they asked me about berkshire's

future with that language Buffett was

highly convincing because he said he was

advising readers in the same way he

would advise a family member the most

powerful form of unity is in the family

people go to Great Lengths even risking

their lives to help close relatives

Robert shows you how you can use family

driven Unity even when you are trying to

influence people who aren't your own

relatives

in one of his college classes Robert

wanted students and their parents to

fill out a questionnaire student

compliance was always very high but

parents typically responded at a far

lower rate often below 20 percent one

small tweak increased the parent

response rate to 97 percent

what was the simple tweak Robert said he

would give the students an extra point

on one test if their parents completed

the survey one point on one test in a

semester-long course is an

inconsequential benefit it would be

unlikely to have any impact at all on

the student's final grade but by

invoking the concept of helping a family

member he increased the response rate

five-fold from poor to nearly perfect

implications of these studies and

examples are huge this means if I can

shift your attention to let's say

helpfulness fairness or romance before I

deliver my message then at that moment

you become a helpful fair or romantic

person in other words by using the

persuasion tactics I can change your

identity in that particular situation I

can change who you are I can change how

you perceive yourself and I can change

how you perceive me and my message

this next experiment is pretty

impressive and will explain why we get

influenced so easily in Belgium

researchers brought a group of people

together and showed them a picture of a

household object but with a different

background image they divided the people

into three groups in the background

picture of the first group there was a

single person standing alone the second

group's background picture had two

people standing next to each other

separately finally in the third group's

background picture there were two people

standing shoulder to shoulder

now during the experiment researchers

stood up and accidentally dropped

several items on the floor in order to

find out who of these three groups would

get down on their knees and help

both from the first and second groups

only 20 percent of people helped but the

results were three times higher in the

third group who had a background image

of two people standing shoulder to

shoulder

now this isn't the most interesting part

of the experiment

the most interesting part is that the

subjects of this experiment were only 18

month old children who had no logical

reasoning and could barely talk

this experiment proves how primitive and

fundamental this process is and why

subconsciously every single one of us

can easily be influenced regardless of

the level of logic or intelligence

for example research shows that if you

simply put a picture of a thinking man

in the corner of the screen while they

do a task they become more analytical

and make fewer mistakes or if you put

the picture of a person winning a race

then they produce more it positively

affects their results

now let's see in real life how we can

apply what we learned from these

experiments I have six practical tips

for you but first I'd like to give you

one analogy that will summarize

everything we covered so far and also

make it very easy for you to understand

the central lesson of these experiments

imagine you are planting a seed if you

want the seed to grow and bear fruits

you need to do two things right number

one choose a good quality seed number

two prepare the soil right if the soil

isn't prepared well then the seed isn't

going to grow regardless of how good

quality your seed is using this analogy

we can say that the seed is the message

you use to convince others and this book

and all the experiments and examples you

have heard so far are about preparing

the soil

what you say to persuade is important

but what you put in front of your

message before it's delivered is

sometimes more important in other words

your seed is important but first you

have to make sure that the soil is

brought to the right condition to grow

that seed you saw this yourself in all

the experiments there was always a

sentence a request or a picture that

came before the message was delivered

which completely changed people's

behavior

all right let's move on to those six

tips I mentioned earlier number one if

you are giving away a free product to

your clients you might consider giving

the product to their family members

instead of the clients themselves

that can be more effective remember the

experiment with students and parents and

how one point increased their response

rate

number two let's say you have a product

and you need your clients help to

improve it instead of saying what is

your feedback or what is your opinion on

this product you can say what's your

advice on this product

the difference seems small but the

effect is quite big because the word

advice creates Unity it creates a

togetherness effect the word advice

makes people take one step forward

towards you and the word opinion or

feedback makes them take one step

backward away from you as you have

probably already guessed this one is

related to the concept of unity remember

the Warren Buffett example and my

meeting with the banker

number three if you're planning to ask

for a salary raise at work then do it at

a time when you have received nice

feedback from customers or when you have

achieved something great at work this is

the time when the results of your great

work are in the center of attention

this tip is related to the energy drink

experiment

number four if you're a student and

trying to convince other students to

donate to some cause you can mention

that you are also a student and that

would automatically activate the unity

principle and increase donations

again this one is also related to the

unity principle

number five decorate your environment

according to your goals until reading

books like this one I used to believe

that it was stupid to write motivational

phrases or words on office walls you've

probably seen such phrases such as

courage success winning quality customer

first

Etc it turns out that these things

actually work and impact us

subconsciously so think about what the

things are that you're trying to achieve

and how you can decorate your room to

put you in that state of mind

for example when my goal was to make ten

thousand dollars per month I went on

Amazon and bought a fake ten thousand

dollar stack and put it on my desk to

remind me of my goal when I wanted to

invest more I printed out a phrase that

said make money work for you framed it

as a picture and put it on my desk

you can also do small things such as

changing the background picture on your

phone or computer you can listen to

different types of music according to

the type of work you're doing if the

task requires you to be highly focused

just Google music for focus and listen

to it while working on that task for

example before I start writing scripts

such as this one I always watch a video

from my favorite YouTuber I like his

videos because they're high quality and

he can explain complex Topics in a very

simple way just passively playing some

of his videos before I start writing

scripts puts me into the right mindset

where I'm also focused on quality and

simplicity

number six bring the person to the right

mindset before you deliver your message

let me explain with an example once I

wanted to convince one of my colleagues

to do things differently in our project

both of us knew that this change would

be great for the project however he

simply didn't want to do it because it

would mean extra work for him

especially at the time we had a few

other arguments in previous days so he

was in a mindset where he would just

disagree with whatever I suggested

so after two failed attempts to convince

him I tried a tactic from this book and

it worked what did I do differently this

time

well before I opened the topic I said

this I said

do you remember three months ago you

suggested a change that I disagreed with

but since it was for the benefit of the

project I agreed to do it

he said yes

I said okay today thanks to that change

you suggested we have great improvements

in our project at the time I was against

it but I agreed to what you suggested

because it was best for the project it

wasn't about you nor about me it was

about what is best for the project

now today I'm asking you for a change

and we both know that it's the best

thing for the project

so what do you say we both put our egos

aside and implement the change I'm

suggesting

he thought a little bit and said yes and

that was the end of the story

the reason this worked was that I

shifted his mindset from arguing to

doing what was best for the project

think about your life you probably have

also had similar situations what are the

things you can say or do before you

deliver your message to bring the person

to the right mindset so that he or she

would be more receptive to your message

do you need the person to be fair

romantic honest or cooperative Define

what it is that you want find a sentence

or thing that would put the person in

that mindset and then deliver your

message

and of course do it ethically not just

this tactic but all of them you might

ask what will happen if I don't do it

ethically

for example what would happen if you

decide to use them unethically in your

company against your customers

well your employees will see what you

are doing and they will start using the

same sneaky techniques against their own

customer which is you

so it's highly likely to backfire

one more thing

always keep in mind that you are not

immune to such tactics and can be easily

influenced for example a friend or

colleague might mention a small favor

they did for you before they ask for a

big favor mentioning the small favor

will put you in a mindset where you will

feel a strong urge to help them back

helping others who helped us is deeply

coded into our DNA and it's very hard to

fight against it if the favor they ask

is equal to the favor they did for us

then all is good but sometimes they use

their small favor as bait to get you to

agree to something much larger

so in situations don't give an answer

right away take your time

tell them that you'll think about it and

let them know your decision

if you rush it you are highly likely to

agree to their request and then regret

it

this has happened to me personally

multiple times I have agreed to do

things that I regretted later

finally my goal with this video was

number one to increase awareness about

the weaknesses every single one of us

possesses so that we can protect

ourselves and number two show you ways

you can apply them ethically to your

life job or your business

I hope it was a useful video if you want

to see similar videos to this one then

check out the video you see on your

screen have a great day