Tom Swerts's Key Ideas from Influence, New and Expanded
by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD

Once we have made up our minds, we don’t have to think about it again.

We are more consistent in our commitment if we believe that we did it for our purpose rather than external pressure.

Ask yourself, “Would I make the same choice again?”

The more the number of people doing it, the more we believe that the behavior is correct.

• Canned laughter
• Tip jars

To prevent falling for this you should recognize when the social proof is deliberately faked.

What causes liking?

• Physical attractiveness – positive characteristic of a person dominates how others view that person
• Similarity – We like people who are like us
• Compliments – We are phenomenal suckers of flattery
• Contact and cooperation – Familiarity with someone plays a role in our decision making. and produces greater liking
• Conditioning and association – People do assume that we have the same personality traits as our friends

If you like the requester, do not automatically like the request.

We obey authorities mindlessly in a lot of cases:

• Titles
• Clothes and other outward appearances

Ask yourself, “is this authority truly an expert?”

The thought of losing something motivates us more than the idea of gaining something of similar value.

We believe that things that are difficult to own are usually better than things that are easy to hold.

i.e. The passion of an indifferent lover surges when a rival comes in.