Persuasion. We all want to learn the secrets of persuasion and the most effective way to convince others that you’re right and they’re wrong.

Social Judgement Theory (SJT) is a communications theory that provides a method for effective persuasion. It explains why people eat more bacon when people tell them meat is bad, and it explains why we get the urge to indulge in something after someone vehemently denounces it.

According to SJT, when people hear persuasive messages, they can't help but compare them to their current beliefs. Everyone has preexisting attitudes (called an "anchor"), and the importance or relevance of a particular issue to someone's life is called ego involvement.

SJT is all about ranges. With any particular issue, one has a Latitude of Acceptance(LoA). This is the range of remarks and beliefs, measured from 1-10, one will consider prior to any persuasive attempts. For instance, my attitudes about censorship might be a 3: I believe the government shouldn't inhibit art from reaching the public, but I also think certain material can normalize violence and prejudice, especially in children. My LoA might be a 2-4, so if someone tries to persuade me with an argument within that range, I won’t completely reject it offhand.

Coming into an argument, you have no control over someone's LoA. Because of this, you need to tailor your argument to the listener. The trick: craft your persuasive message on the farthest side of the listener’s LoA. In my case, try to persuade me with a 4. If you craft your argument well, the listener’s LoA will actually shift in your favor. This is called assimilation.

However, outside of the Latitude of Acceptance is the Latitude of Rejection (LoR), and if your argument falls in the listener’s LoR, there’s little hope for persuasion. And if your argument is too far in the LoR, (let’s say, holding signs that say “You’re all going to Hell” at a gay pride parade) the listener’s attitude will shift the opposite direction. The crowd will wave their rainbow flags higher, and this is why people say the Westboro Baptist Church actually garnered support for LGBTQ+ rights (but don't tell them).

There’s a few other factors you might want to consider. If an issue has high ego involvement, which means it's very important to someone, his or her LoA will be narrower and there will be fewer arguments he or she is willing to accept. Also, people are more likely to be persuaded by someone with perceived high credibility, especially when the issue has low ego involvement.

No theory is without its faults, but SJT makes sense. We all like being right, and if someone tells us our fundamental beliefs are wrong, we will get defensive. However, if we hear an argument that mostly lines up with our beliefs, we can agree with it and still feel good about ourselves.

Audience is key. If you don’t know anything about your audience, it might to better to play it safe and not propose anything too extreme. Some might say this is conceding to the enemy or manipulation. I say it’s looking ahead and patience.

I understand that sometimes there are time constraints. Using aggressive and immediate tactics, you'll get the job done and serve as a voice for supporters, but you won't really change anyone's beliefs. If you want to truly persuade someone and you have the time, try taking it slow.

An example: I love Marilyn Manson’s shocking antics as much as the next girl, but he’s not changing anyone. Rather, alienated individuals who already agree with his ideas gravitate to him; the only people he may persuade are the ones who would already consider his ideas in the first place. Everyone he condemns is cowering in the corner and using him as an example to reinforce and strengthen his or her own beliefs.

SJT explains why transitional tactics such as promoting MeatlessMonday and Earth Hour are so great. Rather than pushing extreme and seemingly unreasonable lifestyle changes upfront, activists focus on reducing harmful behaviors. Over time, everything falls into place. People learned to accept civil unions before marriage equality, and early feminists did not question traditional gender roles in order to achieve suffrage.

It can be frustrating at first because you know it's not enough. But it's a start, and with patience and a few persuasion attempts, you'll get exactly what you want.