The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

by Tali Sharot

On average, when you encounter a piece of data that contradicts what you already know about the world, that piece of data is, in fact, wrong. For example, if someone claims they observed a yellow elephant flying in the sky or a purple fish walking on the ground, it is reasonable to assume that this person is lying or delusional. We should, generally speaking, evaluate information in relation to what we already know.

Emotion equates the physiological state of the listener with that of the speaker, which makes it more likely that the listener will process incoming information in a similar manner to how the speaker sees it. This is why eliciting emotion can help in communicating your ideas and having others share your point of view, whether you are conversing with just one individual or talking to thousands.

Getting people to listen means shifting that large metaphoric calculator inside their minds, the one that computes the value of information and motivates them to pay attention when it shows positive numbers. If the knowledge you have can fill another’s information gap, highlight the gap; if it can help people better their world, clarify how. Finally, reframe your message so that the information you provide will induce hope, not dread. To be clear, this does not mean sugarcoating what you have to say. If, for example, you need to critique someone’s work, do not soften the critique—convey the problem clearly. However, the existing problem can be communicated either in terms of

Sean Taylor, who received his PhD from NYU and now works for Facebook, has studied how existing ratings and comments influence subsequent ratings.8 He found that if you manipulate the ratings so that the first review is glowing, the likelihood of other positive reviews increases by 32 percent and the final rating is enhanced by 25 percent! This means that the difference between a restaurant with an average rating and one with a phenomenal rating can sometimes be attributed to the first person who happened to log on and register their opinion. The ability of one person, one rating, to influence so many others that follow is quite remarkable.

Biological principles, behavioral rules, and psychological theories can be hard to remember. But stories, plots, and characters stick in your mind; they provide a vivid emotional tale that you can make sense of and retrieve easily. The next time you encounter a sign saying, “Employees must wash their hands,” remember that immediate rewards work better than threats for motivating people to act. The next time you water your plants, remember that offering control is a stronger tool for influence than giving orders. The next time you listen to a preflight safety briefing, recall the power of reframing a message to highlight the possibility of progress, rather than doom, for getting people to pay attention. My hope is that the characters in this book and the stories they tell will live happily at the back of your mind, raising their heads every so often when the time is right.