3 docs tagged with "cialdini"

Robert Cialdini's six principles of influence — Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity — are the foundational framework of persuasion psychology, developed from three years of field research and documented in *Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion* (1984). Each principle describes a deeply embedded mental shortcut that humans use to decide whether to comply with a request, and each can be ethically applied to communication, sales, leadership, and negotiation.

Reciprocity is the deeply embedded social norm that compels people to return favours, gifts, concessions, and other positive actions. One of Robert Cialdini's six core principles of influence, reciprocity is the basis of gift-giving rituals, the effectiveness of free samples, the social dynamics of negotiation, and the foundation of cooperative social structures. It operates across cultures, appears early in child development, and functions even when the initial gift was uninvited.

Social Proof is the psychological tendency to look to others' behaviour as evidence of the correct course of action, especially in uncertain situations. One of Robert Cialdini's six core principles of influence, it explains why testimonials, crowd behaviour, bestseller labels, star ratings, and "others are doing this" messaging reliably shift attitudes and behaviour — because humans evolved to use social information as a shortcut for uncertain decisions.