Want to learn the ideas in Influence better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Influence by Robert B. Cialdini here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of Influence

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Influence, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Robert B. Cialdini.

1-Page Summary of Influence

Overview

Robert B. Cialdini’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, examines the compliance methods used by marketers and others to pressure people into doing things they would not otherwise do. There are six basic tools of persuasion: reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. Readers can learn specific techniques to resist each method when it is used on them in order to avoid being persuaded into something they don’t want to do or buy.

Humans rely on standard responses in many situations. For example, when one person gives another a gift, the recipient usually feels indebted and is inclined to reciprocate. These mental shortcuts are helpful because they facilitate mutual aid within groups that strengthen society as a whole.

However, social responses can be used by salespeople to make people buy things that they don’t necessarily want. A salesperson might give customers a free sample of something in order to gain their trust and then use the customer’s gratitude as leverage for a future purchase.

If people know about compliance methods, they can resist them. They can refuse the initial gift or recognize that it’s not a real gift and so feel free to reject it. These techniques can help people avoid buying things they don’t want or being conned into doing something against their will.

Learning about compliance techniques is important, as they can be misused. People make decisions based on mental shortcuts in order to navigate a complex society and culture. By taking advantage of the need for reciprocity, compliance professionals undermine it by making people distrust others or even their own intuitions and evaluations of their needs and desires. Exposing these methods ensures that individuals are not taken advantage of, but also helps ensure the health of society at large.

Key Takeaways

People have triggers that make them react in certain ways. For example, they’re more likely to comply when someone gives them something or wants something from them. People also want to be consistent and do what everyone else is doing.

People are inclined to trust and be influenced by people they find likable. They will obey authority figures.

When people have something they want to keep, they will value it more. This is because losses are felt more strongly than gains. By understanding how influence works, we can resist that influence.

Key Takeaway 1: People have fixed-action triggers; they act in certain ways when confronted with certain situations. Compliance professionals use these triggers to convince people to do things they otherwise would not do.

When a male robin sees another male robin, he’ll attack him. This helps with the territory defense. However, when scientists show the bird red feathers, it also attacks them. The trigger works well in normal situations but can be used to confuse and trick the bird as well.

Some animals have fixed actions, and humans are one of them. For example, if a robin sees another bird eating something, the first bird will want to eat it as well. In that way, people can be deceived by giving them reasons for doing things when those reasons don’t make sense or add any new information.

For instance, at the grocery store, people are more willing to agree if someone asks them permission using a trigger word like “because” than without it. This pattern of behavior is similar to what you see in animals that have fixed-action patterns. Newborn babies will grasp objects placed in front of them and especially hair when they’re being carried by their mother.

Key Takeaway 2: People have a trigger for reciprocity. If someone gives a person a gift, the recipient feels indebted and wants to give a gift in return.