Robert Cialdini's 6 principles of influence

Illusory Promise

A situation in which a party appears to commit to something but really has not committed to anything. It is not a promise and thus not consideration.

similarity and liking

Up to 80% similarity in attitudes leads to liking

Consensus (Social Proof)

We view a behavior as correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it

halo effect

a tendency to believe that people have inherently good or bad natures rather than looking at individual characteristics

door-in-the-face technique

asking for a large commitment and being refused and then asking for a smaller commitment

scarcity principle

asserts that opportunities seem more valuable when their availability is limited

implicit personality theories

beliefs about what traits or characteristics tend to go together

reciprocity principle

exploits the tendency for people to think they should pay back in kind what they receive from others

herd mentality

people influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviours

illusory correlation

perception of a relationship where none exists, or perception of a stronger relationship than actually exists ex: someone believes pitbulls are inherently dangerous

what is good is beautiful stereotype

the belief that attractive people are superior in most ways

mere exposure effect

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Consistency Principle

the principle that people will change their attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and actions to make them consistent with each other

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

psychological reactance

the theory that people react against threats to their freedom by asserting themselves and perceiving the threatened freedom as more attractive