An outstanding account about how the human mind is influenced
☆☆☆☆☆
We are all consumers of goods and services in some way or another, and I am glad I have read this…. hopefully I should have done so much earlier, but certainly better late than never. The author discusses how the psychological mechanism works in making decisions, saying “yes” to a request, how our decisions are influenced/swayed, and how we can prevent ourselves from the situations where we likely end up making unwanted decisions and/or being exploited by ill-intended profiteers. In so doing, the six underlying principles: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, are introduced with ample examples from various intriguing researches, and how these potent influencers can be commissioned by those who want us to consciously or unconsciously comply with their requests. Used with due professional ethics, the six principles can be very effective marketing tools, but we as consumers would be certainly better equipped with understanding of the principles when dealing with someone who tries to pull a trick or two and manipulate our attitudes and behaviors.
