Persuasion & influence
The levers that move minds — and the biases that make us moveable.
Every ad, negotiation and campaign runs on the same handful of levers. Reciprocity creates obligation; social proof and authority borrow other people’s judgment; anchoring and framing set the terms before the argument even starts. Learn them to persuade honestly — and to notice when they are being used on you.
Key ideas here: Reciprocity, Incentives, Social proof, Authority bias, Anchoring bias — and 7 more below.
Mental models
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is the deep social rule that we feel obliged to return what others give us — a favour, a gift, a concession. Receiving something creates a…
Incentives
Incentives are the rewards and punishments that drive behaviour. To predict what people will do, look not at what they say or intend but at what they…
Social proof
Social proof is our tendency to decide what’s correct by watching what others do — especially under uncertainty. When we’re unsure, the behaviour of…
The Overton window
The Overton window is the range of ideas the public currently finds acceptable to discuss and enact. Policies inside it are politically viable; those…
Cognitive biases
Authority bias
Authority bias is the tendency to over-trust and obey an authority figure regardless of the content of what they say. A title, uniform, or credential…
Anchoring bias
Anchoring bias is the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered — the “anchor” — when making decisions. Later…
Framing effect
The framing effect is when the way information is presented — not its content — changes your decision. “Ninety percent survive” and “ten percent die”…
Halo effect
The halo effect is letting one positive trait — often attractiveness, likability, or success in one area — color your overall judgement, so a good…
The decoy effect
The decoy effect is when adding a third, deliberately inferior option changes which of the original two you prefer. The "decoy" isn’t meant to be…
The mere-exposure effect
The mere-exposure effect is the tendency to like things simply because they’re familiar. Repeated exposure — to a song, a face, a brand, an idea —…
Contrast effect
The contrast effect is when our judgement of something shifts depending on what we compare it to. The same option seems better or worse, bigger or…
Reactance
Reactance is the urge to do the opposite of what you’re told when you feel your freedom of choice is being threatened. A heavy-handed rule, ban, or…
Related topics
The books behind better thinking
Listen to any of these free. Start a free Audible trial and get your first audiobook on the house.
Prefer to read? The canonical picks:
- Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
- The Art of Thinking Clearly — Rolf Dobelli
- The Great Mental Models, Volume 1 — Shane Parrish
- Poor Charlie’s Almanack — Charlie Munger
- Super Thinking — Gabriel Weinberg & Lauren McCann
- Seeking Wisdom — Peter Bevelin
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Editorial synthesis © ReadGlobe. Each idea links to a full reference page with sources.