How does the subconscious mind impact our decisions? Researchers found that decisions are taken in the subconscious mind long before reaching the conscious mind where you are aware of them. This is the explanation of why people say something and then do something different than the information presented. At this time, one may believe they …
Ethics of Persuasion Persuasion is widely accepted as unethical if used for personal gain at the expense of others or personal gain without the audience’s knowledge. Most persuasion measures have been declared to be dishonest. For instance, coercive smuggling or brainwashing do not pose ethical issues. Barring most compelling persuasive methods are identifiable as unethical, …
What is the availability effect? The availability effect, also known as the availability heuristic, describes the mind’s tendency to use information that comes quickly and easily. It’s one of the cognitive biases related by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and it got them a Nobel prize. We wrote about discoveries of Kahneman and Tversky in …
What is social proof? Social Proof is a phrase coined in 1984 by author Robert Cialdini in his book Influence. It is the idea that people try to emulate others by doing things to mimic their behavior. In marketing, social proof relates to a similar idea. Social proof is one of the principles described by …
