Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert Cialdini spent years studying compliance professionals, the salespeople, fundraisers, and marketers whose job is to get a yes. Out of that work he drew six principles that drive much of human persuasion: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. He shows how each one works, why it is so effective, and how to defend yourself when someone turns it against you. The book mixes research with vivid real-world examples. Charlie Munger named it his favorite book on human behavior and was so grateful for it that he sent Cialdini a share of Berkshire Hathaway stock.
What you might want to know about Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A psychologist explains the six principles that make people say yes, from reciprocity to social proof, and how to recognize them being used on you.
No. This is Robert Cialdini's Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, a different book about the science of persuasion.
Yes. Munger credited the book with helping Berkshire and sent Robert Cialdini a Class A share of Berkshire Hathaway as thanks.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion was written by Robert B. Cialdini, published in 1984 by Harper Business.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is 320 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.