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Prepared by Philip Zimbardo and Cindy X. Wang
Cialdini’s Principles of Social Influence
Liking [Context: Friendship]
The Basics
- People prefer to say “yes” to individuals they know and like
- We want people to like us and we like those who show that they like us
How It’s Exploited
- Persuasion experts manipulate common factors that influence their likeability.
- Features that influence liking:
- Physical attractiveness – engender “halo” effect that extends to favorable impressions of other traits such as talent, kindness, and intelligence – attractive people usually more successful in changing attitudes and getting requests granted
- Similarity – we like people who are like us; we more willing to say “yes” to them, often in an unthinking manner
- Praise – compliments generally enhance liking and compliance; although can backfire if used excessively and transparently
- Familiarity – repeated contact with a person or thing normally facilitates liking; holds when contact takes place under positive, not negative circumstances
- Association – making connections to positive things, profiteers seek to share positivity through process of association
- Shadowing- influence agent exhibits non-verbal behaviors that match those of the target individual, creates a pseudo-comparability
Best Defense
- Resist this principle by developing a special sensitivity to suspicious and undue liking from the requester
- Separate the requester from the request, and make compliance decisions based solely on the merits of the offer – not your emotions about the requester.
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