Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
The classic work on the psychology of compliance and persuasion
"There is a natural human tendency to dislike a person who brings us unpleasant information, even when that person did not cause the bad news."
— Robert B. Cialdini
My Review
Cialdini's six principles of persuasion are exploits of evolved psychological mechanisms. Reciprocity, social proof, authority - these all have evolutionary explanations. Understanding them is essential for both signaling and signal detection.
Why It Matters
Cialdini documents the psychological triggers that evolved for good reasons but can be exploited. Understanding these is essential for both creating honest signals and detecting deceptive ones.
Key Ideas
- Reciprocity: we feel obligated to return favors
- Social proof: we follow what others do
- Authority: we defer to perceived experts
- Scarcity: we value what's rare
How It Connects to This Framework
Book 5 (Communication & Signaling) chapters on honest vs. deceptive signals draw on Cialdini's persuasion principles.
Get the Book
Support the author and your preferred bookseller:
Tags
Want to go deeper?
The full Biology of Business book explores these concepts in depth with practical frameworks.