Reading rank 386
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
, subject: Psychology of persuasion and compliance, 1984
Cialdini shows that favors and harms both shape what people do next, and that a request is more persuasive when it comes with a reason.
22
Coverage Score
3
Scored evidence
About the book
Cialdini explains why people say yes through six principles: reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. His site reports that the book has sold more than four million copies.
Why read it
Best if you need people to agree to your requests and want to see how past favors, past harms and a stated reason change their answer.
Key themes
- Reciprocity runs both ways
- Give the reason, not just the request
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #79, #90
This record is supported by 3 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Charlie Munger (The Complete Investor) — David uses Cialdini's rule of reciprocity to explain how favors and harms shape future behavior.
- Charlie Munger (Poor Charlie's Almanack) — David uses Cialdini's photocopier experiment to explain why giving a reason makes a request more persuasive.