There’s Seldom Any Traffic on the High Road
We’ve all been there: someone says something rude to us and our instinct is to strike back with a quick-witted comeback. That’s what many people do. It’s also a big reason that many people don’t get …
Persuasion
Maria Konnikova on How we Get Conned
There’s a scene in the classic Paul Newman film The Sting, where Johnny Hooker (played by a young Robert Redford) tries to get Henry Gondorf (played by Newman) to finally tell him when …
How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas
Analogies are a means of drawing a parallel between two different things which we often use to convey complex ideas and to communicate effectively. We often use analogies to aid our reasoning. In this …
Eudora Welty to The New Yorker: The best job application ever
In March of 1933, Eudora Welty, then 23 and looking for writing work, sent this beautiful letter to the offices of The New Yorker. “It’s difficult,” writes Shaun Usher in his …
The Psychology of Persuasion: Six Timeless Principles To Get Your Way
Influence is one of the defining texts on the psychology of persuasion. In this post, we explore the six major principles of persuasion and how you can use them in your life to supercharge your …
Decision Making Psychology with Rory Sutherland
Below are three excerpts from a great interview with Rory Sutherland on decision making psychology. Understanding Human Behavior That attempt to model economic behaviour as though it were Newtonian …
What Lovers Tell Us About Persuasion
“The thing that is most likely to guide a person’s behavioral decisions isn’t the most potent or familiar or instructive aspect of the whole situation; rather, it’s the one that is …
The Difference Between Persuade, Convince, and Coerce
The difference is worth understanding. In a recent slate article, K.C. Cole writes: Persuasion requires understanding. Coercion requires only power. We usually equate coercion with obvious force, but …
Secrets from the Science of Persuasion
A great animation describing the fundamental principles of persuasion based on the research of Dr. Robert Cialdini, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University. Dr. …
Dale Carnegie’s Seven Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier
This section was included in the original 1936 edition of How to Win Friends and Influence People but omitted from the revised 1981 edition. Don’t nag. Don’t try to make your partner over. …
The Best Summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People
A brief, no fluff, summary of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Techniques in Handling People Don’t criticize, condemn or complain. Give honest and sincere …
Changing Minds: It Takes More than Facts
When is the last time someone told you a fact that caused you to change your mind? It’s likely you can’t think of a verifiable example. And yet, when it comes to trying to persuade others, …
Master of Influence Robert Cialdini Recommends Five Books
Psychologist Robert Cialdini wrote two of the the most important books on influence: Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive and The Psychology of Persuasion. Now he recommends five books …
The Principles of Influence
A great short video of psychology and marketing professor Robert Cialdini introducing the universal principles of influence. Cialdini has dedicated most of his life to figuring out why it was so easy …
How Infomercials Persuade
In response to But Wait … There’s More, a kind reader passed along a link to a wonderful interview between Andrew Warner and Tim Hawthorne (a producer of infomercials). On how to …
An Incredible Offer — But Wait…There’s More
You’ll never look at infomercials the same after reading this post. Robert Cialdini calls But Wait…There’s More “A wholly fascinating account of a wholly fascinating …