All ideas used in this article stem from Psychologist Robert Cialdini and his book 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion'
Once upon a time there was a man named Jim Jones. Jones was an inspirational guy. So much so, that he told 917 people to kill themselves and they did. For a long time, no one could wrap their head around it. Why would such a large number of people comply with such an outrageous request?
A few weeks ago, the strangest thing happened to me. I was watching a movie that was new to theatres with some friends. I wasn't too impressed by the movie. Frankly, I couldn't wait for it to be over. But when the end credits began to roll, I started clapping in applause of the movie along with my friends and the rest of the audience.
Surely, clapping in a movie theatre and committing suicide are two actions that vary greatly in severity, but they are tied together by the power of social proof that so strongly influences each of us on a daily basis. And there's a good reason social proof has such a strong grip on our decision making ability. Often, the action that the majority of people are taking is the correct one.
Adapting to Sweden during my semester abroad has shown me this first-hand. Biking down the streets, I look to other bikers to see how they react to pedestrians, cars and road signs so that I don't find myself in the middle of an accident. Learning the Swedish language, I frequently eavesdrop on people's conversations on the bus to pick up the dialect used in their words.
The fact of the matter is, when we don't know what to do, the best way to figure out what to do is from the people surrounding us. But unfortunately, social proof doesn't solve all problems. In fact, it creates a fair deal of problems itself.
Have you ever wondered why so many TV comedies pipe in fake laughter during their shows? I don't think there's a single person who doesn't find it at least a little annoying. The reason, as much as most would like to deny it, is that canned laughter makes us laugh. Even though we know it's fake, for some reason we still give into it. That's how powerful social proof is.
For all you "Big Bang" fans, I hate to do this to you, but watch this clip and see just how unfunny it is without the canned laughter.
Back to Guyana, 1978. Jim Jones was the culprit of the Jonestown massacre, but his commands were not the reason that hundreds of people decided to take their own lives. It was his understanding of psychological principles. Once he had convinced some well known and respected individuals in the town to commit suicide, the massacre carried along at ease.
This isn't the only time we've seen the concept of social proof work in such devastating ways. Japanese kamikazi's and German Nazis in World War II are two more recent examples. But really, the power of social proof can be applied to most significant events in human history, good and bad.
So, you should rightly ask, how do I limit the power social proof has over me? Sometimes it can be near impossible, as social proof becomes instinct in many situations. However, if we understand the concept, how it works, and the power it has over us, our ability to make a clear-headed decision when influenced by it greatly increases.
The first way we can fall victim to social evidence is when we are presented with counterfeit social evidence. Examples of counterfeit social evidence are "real people" in commercials who tell us how great a product is, canned laughter in TV shows, or any advertisement which makes the underlying claim that "all the cool people are doing it." The second we become aware of this counterfeit social evidence, we should immediately refrain ourselves from any association with the product being sold, whether it be a wonder sprinkler or cyanide Kool Aid.
The second way begins with the simple error of someone, anyone — maybe even you. Where it becomes a problem is when others begin to follow. In most cases, this leader's actions are only an error in that other people have followed them in it. Let's take poor Jimmy as an example. After scoring a touchdown, Jimmy's friend Brian decides to playfully tackle him onto the ground in celebration. Jack follows Brian and jumps on Jimmy in celebration as well, screaming "dog pile!" Six boys later, poor little Jimmy is struggling to breathe at the bottom of the dog pile. In situations like these, it is important that we don't become engulfed in the social proof of what is going on, making sure to evaluate the situation for the most logical action apart from the majority.
Although I've been brief, I hope I have at least spread awareness as to the power of social proof. However, it is only one of many shortcuts our brain uses to quickly adapt to what is happening around us. The one true way to stop these shortcuts from causing unwanted actions is to question the reasons for your decisions. Our greatest mistakes happen when we become lazy with our minds.
