What’s psycho-logic? How can you use it to persuade people to do something or buy something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s essential to acknowledge and tap into the instinctive, unconscious reasoning behind how people make decisions. Whether you’re selling a product, planning a business strategy, or trying to convince people to eat healthful food, the \u201cmagic\u201d of unreason can be far more persuasive than logical arguments and facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep reading to learn what Rory Sutherland has to say about the value of psycho-logic and how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Three psycho-logic tools that we\u2019ll explore include the use of subtle cues to signal trustworthiness; the placebo effect<\/em>, in which the mind can trick the body; and the mind\u2019s tendency to make choices that are good enough to achieve a given want\u2014going for whatever works rather than striving for the best possible outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first psycho-logic tool of persuasion we\u2019ll consider is signaling<\/em>\u2014the things we do to demonstrate our intent and trustworthiness to others. The human mind uses signals as a shorthand from which to form broader judgments about people, groups, and institutions.<\/strong> By being deliberate about the signals you send, whether or not they seem rational on the surface, you can gain people\u2019s trust and nudge them in favor of whatever message you\u2019re trying to convey, even if they don\u2019t fully understand why they trust you and believe what you say. Sutherland explains the traits that make signals strong and effective, how signals are employed in the business world, and why signaling sometimes incurs short-term costs in the pursuit of long-term gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: While the forms of signaling Sutherland discusses are broadly universal, it\u2019s possible to dig deeper into this topic and adjust the type of signals you send depending on the person with whom you\u2019re communicating. In Surrounded by Idiots<\/em><\/a>, communication expert Thomas Erikson identifies several different personality types and how to specifically adapt your behavior<\/a> to send them the signals they\u2019ll find the most persuasive. For instance, being brusk and direct is effective with ambitious personality types for whom politeness and people-pleasing behavior signal weakness. Erikson says you don\u2019t have to be dishonest\u2014only that you can communicate what you want while adjusting how you express it to suit your audience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever it is that you want to signal\u2014that you\u2019re the right candidate for a job, that your toaster design is better than your competitor\u2019s, or that your social media empire doesn\u2019t really <\/em>want to take over the world\u2014Sutherland says words and logical arguments aren\u2019t enough. A powerful signal that people will notice must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: While Sutherland backs up these statements with several examples from the advertising world, you should carefully gauge how much creativity and nonsense is appropriate for some situations. For example, consider job applications. Because employers may judge your resume within a matter of seconds, it\u2019s important to make yours stand out from the pack<\/a> in terms of time spent and creativity, but depending on the job you\u2019re applying for, anything nonsensical or smacking of the wrong kind of creativity<\/a>\u2014such as bright colors or hard-to-read fonts\u2014might have the opposite effect from what you intend by signaling the wrong kind of message.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Talk is cheap, and people realize this. Sutherland says the cost in money, time, or resources to create a unique message shows a certain level of confidence and commitment that a simple verbal argument cannot convey. Likewise, the human brain is programmed to ignore the ordinary or expected. For a signal to cut through the noise of everyday life, it must contain an element of the unexpected<\/strong>\u2014and nothing stands out so much as the absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: The neurological response that Sutherland describes is governed by the limbic system<\/a>, which is considered one of the oldest parts of the brain on the evolutionary scale. In Maps of Meaning<\/em><\/a>, Peterson explains how the limbic system<\/a> is triggered when an unexpected sensory input clashes with your mental model of the world<\/a>. This initiates your fight-or-flight response<\/a>, but it also focuses the brain\u2019s attention and curiosity on the new, incongruous information. While this is a basic survival reaction, the limbic system also reacts to humor<\/a>, engaging the brain\u2019s attention the same way. Communicators in addition to Sutherland have touted the value of hacking the limbic system<\/a> as a way to get your message across.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea that signals should contain some degree of nonsense is most easily demonstrated in advertising, writes Sutherland. Consider how many advertisements today contain a ridiculous or humorous element that has nothing to do with the product being sold, whereas more ads from decades ago focused on conveying logical reasons why a certain product or service was better. The ridiculous ad accomplishes two things\u2014it grabs your attention in ways a logical ad wouldn\u2019t, and it shows that the business running the ad believes enough in its product or service that it\u2019s willing to spend the money, time, and creative effort to tell you about it in an amusing way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: In the age of social media, absurdity in advertising can have an added benefit that Sutherland doesn\u2019t mention\u2014namely, that an ad can go viral<\/a> as people share it with their online connections, boosting the message\u2019s reach with no further effort on the sender\u2019s part. Nevertheless, when using humor, be careful not to cross the line between surprising your audience and offending them<\/a>. Humor and absurdity have to be measured against the tastes and values of your target audience<\/a> so that a joke that lands wrong doesn\u2019t tarnish your message.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Powerful signals don\u2019t have to be silly, but they have to incur a cost to be believed.<\/strong> Sutherland gives the example of a business that spends extra money providing customer service above and beyond its industry\u2019s standard. This may not make logical sense from the perspective of short-term economic gains, but it does make sense if you assume the goal is to build unconscious trust in your consumers\u2014leading to customer loyalty and increased profits in the future. Consciously or not, people recognize when another person or a business puts aside their short-term, selfish interest. Since humans are a social species, we\u2019re hardwired to notice and believe any signals that demonstrate commitment to the community<\/a> as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: The drives behind social behavior may offer clues to more social \u201chacks\u201d than Sutherland covers. In The Art of Thinking Clearly<\/em><\/a>, Rolf Dobelli lists several mental fallacies that we\u2019re prone to because of our need to fit in<\/a>. One is the trend to judge a behavior positively if more people are doing it<\/a>\u2014an irrational urge that\u2019s key to the fashion industry. Our instinctive in-group, out-group bias<\/a> has been central to the political realm since time immemorial, as is our bias in favor of authority<\/a>. Where Dobelli and Sutherland\u2019s ideas overlap is in our urge for reciprocity<\/a>, the idea that if someone does something for us, we\u2019re more likely to answer in kind\u2014such as by rewarding a business\u2019s good service by becoming a repeat customer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another common phenomenon in which the mind and body behave with unreason (psycho-logic) is what\u2019s known as the placebo effect\u2014in which, for example, your body reacts to what you think <\/em>is a drug, even if it\u2019s just a harmless sugar pill. Though using placebos can seem dishonest to the rational mind (aside from their role in medical testing), Sutherland argues that the placebo effect<\/a> is a legitimate tool we can use to hack our bodies and minds to achieve various beneficial outcomes\u2014whether that\u2019s improved health or a better mental state. To make this case, we\u2019ll look at how the placebo effect works, the characteristics of effective placebos, and how the placebo effect manifests in areas of life beyond the medical field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sutherland suggests an evolutionary explanation for the placebo effect. Our bodies evolved to live in harsher conditions than most of us experience in the modern world. For that reason, it didn\u2019t pay to be sick\u2014the body\u2019s immune response to illness temporarily weakens it, reducing short-term survival in the wild. According to this theory, our immune system only gives its full effort if we perceive that it\u2019s safe to do so. A placebo works by telling our body that it\u2019s safe to go into healing mode,<\/strong> and that doing so will likely be successful instead of leaving us vulnerable to predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a sense, taking a placebo is a form of self-signaling. Studies show the placebo effect can induce positive outcomes even if a medication isn\u2019t a placebo at all.<\/strong> Sutherland says this happens when a drug\u2019s marketing campaign<\/a> highlights one specific effect\u2014for instance, that a specific variation of a painkiller is good for fighting headaches. The drug may be chemically identical to other versions on the market\u2014the only difference being the words on the box\u2014and yet, those who take it may actually feel a stronger reduction in headaches than if they\u2019d taken the exact same drug under a different label. Via the placebo effect, you can signal to yourself the outcome you want, and your body will comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sutherland writes that, as with other signals, a placebo\u2019s effectiveness depends on three factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, consider a hypothetical herbal supplement that\u2019s supposed to increase your concentration. If it\u2019s cheap, easy to take, and available at any corner store, it won\u2019t be effective because you won\u2019t believe it. However, Sutherland suggests that if it\u2019s somewhat expensive, can only be found at specialty shops, and has to be taken with food, a hot beverage, or only at specific times of day, we\u2019re much more likely to believe in its power, and its \u201creal\u201d effects are more likely to kick in. Don\u2019t think of this as lying to yourself\u2014think of placebos as a way to hack your mind and body systems that you don\u2019t have conscious control over.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Placebos aren\u2019t limited to drugs you ingest. Sutherland argues that many of our ritualized and irrational behaviors send placebo signals to ourselves and others<\/strong> to produce a desired mental state or outcome. One example is a crosswalk button that doesn\u2019t affect an intersection\u2019s light cycle. The button is a placebo for reducing a pedestrian\u2019s impatience, giving them a sense of control<\/a>, and reducing the chance of them walking into traffic. Other examples include the objectively strange initiation rituals practiced by some clubs and organizations. The ritual triggers a placebo effect to heighten members\u2019 sense of shared community, and the strangeness of it makes your mind take notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third psycho-logic tool that you can leverage when trying to influence people is our unconscious preference for safety over perfection. Much of economics relies on the assumption that when faced with a problem, people work toward a \u201cbest possible solution,\u201d but the human brain doesn\u2019t operate that way. Instead, the mind seeks out solutions that are likely <\/em>to work while minimizing the possibility of failure.<\/strong> It\u2019s a subtle distinction best phrased by the truism, \u201cPerfect is the enemy of good.\u201d Sutherland discusses how the unconscious mind<\/a> veers away from reason to deal with uncertainty<\/a>, what form this takes in a practical sense, and how the brain\u2019s desire for a \u201cwhatever works\u201d solution can be used as a tool for persuasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Logical problem-solving works within the confines of well-defined problems where everything comes down to a handful of easily quantifiable variables. In real life, though, every decision involves uncertainty, which makes logical decision-making<\/a> exponentially more difficult. However, thanks to evolution, our brains cope with uncertainty far better than any mathematical model. Sutherland contends that in decision-making, reducing uncertainty is our unconscious goal.<\/strong> Rational optimization is impossible in a dark and scary world of unknowns, so instead, our brains try to be mostly <\/em>right while reducing the odds of being catastrophically wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One common way we protect ourselves from a world of uncertainty is to reframe a problem so that instead of asking the obvious question\u2014such as, \u201cWhat\u2019s the most efficient way to grow as much food as possible?\u201d\u2014we ask an alternate question that\u2019s easier to answer, such as \u201cWhat\u2019s the safest way to grow something <\/em>so that I won\u2019t starve in case of a disaster?\u201d Most of the time, we\u2019re not consciously aware of the alternate questions that guide our decisions; therefore, Sutherland writes, these unconscious questions make many of our conscious decisions seem irrational. However, if you identify people\u2019s unconscious needs, you can address them directly<\/strong> in ways that you\u2019ll find are much more persuasive than dry, analytical logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People expect life to be messy and that every decision will involve a trade-off. Sutherland says that to win people\u2019s minds, you should play into that expectation, even if \u201creason\u201d suggests otherwise. If you\u2019re selling a product or an idea that\u2019s objectively better than the alternatives, present it as a trade-off anyway. We\u2019re wired to believe that everything has a downside, so build a narrative<\/a> as to why that\u2019s the case,<\/strong> even if doing so involves some distortion. If you admit to imperfection while minimizing people\u2019s feelings of uncertainty, you\u2019ll be speaking to the unconscious mind\u2019s happy place. According to Sutherland, that\u2019s the magic to making sales<\/a>, winning votes, and changing behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s psycho-logic? How can you use it to persuade people to do something or buy something? It\u2019s essential to acknowledge and tap into the instinctive, unconscious reasoning behind how people make decisions. Whether you’re selling a product, planning a business strategy, or trying to convince people to eat healthful food, the \u201cmagic\u201d of unreason can be far more persuasive than logical arguments and facts. Keep reading to learn what Rory Sutherland has to say about the value of psycho-logic and how to use it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":121643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,104,9],"tags":[1379],"class_list":["post-121632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-marketing","category-psychology","tag-alchemy","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n#1: Signaling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Persuasive Absurdity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Show That You\u2019re Serious<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#2: Placebos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Shape of a Placebo<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#3: “Whatever Works”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A World of Trade-Offs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Exercise: Psycho-Logic in Your Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n