Book Review: “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini

I recently finished reading Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. Cialdini, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University, provides a thorough analysis of the six “weapons of influence” that shape human behavior, backing his analysis with a multitude of interesting psychology experiments, real-life events, and other relevant evidence. These six “weapons of influence” are reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.

Written in an understandable, witty, and sometimes humorous way, Influence appeals to the general public and demonstrates that one doesn’t have to be a professor or researcher to understand the fundamental principles of the psychology of persuasion. Cialdini does not use fancy language or academic jargon to give his book more authority. Instead, he writes in a conversational style, entertaining the reader every now and then with funny jokes and personal anecdotes. As a result, Cialdini manages to convey some of the most important insights and experiments from the field of psychology to ordinary people in an engaging way, making Influence one of the most popular psychology books of all time.

In the introduction, Cialdini points out that he does not include the principle of self-interest as a weapon of…