{"id":21587,"date":"2021-09-21T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T08:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/?p=21587"},"modified":"2023-09-20T00:17:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T22:17:50","slug":"social-proof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/en\/social-proof\/","title":{"rendered":"Using social proof to change behaviour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why is there a laughing track under comedy sketches and why do street musicians place some coins in their hat even before they start playing? Because social proof works.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social proof is the natural human tendency to follow the majority when faced with a choice. This means you can influence people\u2019s behaviour by showing that most of their peers make a particular choice.<\/em><\/p>\n

W<\/strong>h<\/strong>at is social <\/strong>proof<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Humans are social creatures. When we are unsure how to act, we usually look at the majority around us to guide our behaviour. We hate to stand out<\/u><\/a>. If the majority acts in a certain way, this behaviour automatically becomes a lot more appealing. It will seem like the safe choice. The majority has \u2018proven\u2019 that this is the way to go. You probably recognize this line of thought; \u201cIf everybody does it this way, it must be right.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

How easy it can be to influence what we do, becomes clear when we are surrounded by people who act oddly. If enough people do something unusual, the behaviour quickly becomes accepted. A classic example of this is the elevator experiment below. In the video, one unsuspecting person is tricked. All the other people in the elevator are actors. And these actors\u2019 behaviour turns out to be surprisingly contagious…<\/p>\n