Question 1

What are the six (now seven) principles of influence?

Accepted Answer

Cialdini's original six principles are: (1) Reciprocity — we feel obligated to return favors, gifts, and concessions; (2) Commitment and Consistency — once we have committed to something, we are motivated to behave consistently with that commitment; (3) Social Proof — when uncertain, we look to others' behavior for guidance on the correct course of action; (4) Liking — we are more likely to be influenced by people we like, and we like people who are similar to us, who pay us compliments, and who are familiar; (5) Authority — we defer to experts and authority figures; (6) Scarcity — opportunities seem more valuable when they are rare or becoming less available. In the 2021 expanded edition, Cialdini added a seventh principle: (7) Unity — the shared identity between influencer and recipient, representing the sense of 'we' that goes beyond liking to genuine kinship.

Question 2

How did Cialdini research this book?

Accepted Answer

Cialdini spent three years as a participant observer in what he calls 'influence professions' — groups whose livelihood depends on getting people to say yes: car dealers, charities, insurance agencies, advertising agencies, and direct marketers. He would call up businesses advertising for salesman trainees and go through their actual training programs; he took training in other persuasion settings; and he interviewed professional persuaders about what they found actually worked. This undercover ethnography gave him practical insight into which academic research on persuasion had real-world validity, and the book weaves together the research evidence with the practitioner examples in a way that makes the principles feel concrete and usable.

Influence Reading Order

Complete Influence Book List

Influence

Pre-Suasion

Influence — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the six (now seven) principles of influence?

How did Cialdini research this book?

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