How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 242

the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were
looking up that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch conformity experiments.
Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable
acts. Cialdini cites incidents such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai
massacre.
Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of
Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked
the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed.
See physical attractiveness stereotype.
Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a
"limited time only" encourages sales.
Selected publications
Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive. Authors: Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and
Robert B. Cialdini. Simon and Schuster, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4165-7096-7.
Compliance with a request in two cultures: The differential influence of social proof and
commitment/consistency on collectivists and individualists. Authors: Cialdini, R.B., Wosinska, W.,
Barrett, D.W., Butner, J. & Gornik-Durose, M. (1999). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 25,
1242-1253.
Cialdini, R. B., Sagarin, B. J., & Rice, W. E. (2001). Training in ethical influence. In J. Darley, D.
Messick, and T. Tyler (Eds.). Social influences on ethical behavior in or