{"id":1265,"date":"2019-09-20T07:02:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T11:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=1265"},"modified":"2022-03-08T09:37:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T13:37:00","slug":"48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/","title":{"rendered":"48 Laws of Power | Law 27: Play on People&#8217;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overview of <strong>Law #27: <\/strong>Play on People&#8217;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>People desperately want to believe in something. Offer them a cause to follow. Promise the world but keep it vague; whip up enthusiasm. Mimic a religious structure with a hierarchy, rituals, and requests for sacrifice (donations). Create a cultlike following. You\u2019ll have untold power over your followers, who will worship you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Principles<\/strong> of Law 27<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Creating a cultlike following is an effective way to build and use power<\/strong>.&nbsp; Among the many benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It opens up myriad opportunities for deception.<\/li><li>It will increase your wealth.<\/li><li>Your followers will defend you against your enemies.<\/li><li>They\u2019ll recruit others to join the cult, giving you even more power and wealth.<\/li><li>They\u2019ll treat you as one who can do no wrong, so you can get away with anything.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Law 27 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-48-laws-of-power-about\/\">48 Laws of Power<\/a>, it\u2019s surprisingly simple to create a cultlike following. The reason is that <strong>people have a desperate need to believe in something, and belong to a group or cause<\/strong>. They\u2019re highly susceptible to the siren call of a new movement or trend.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>History is filled with examples of people and movements that attracted a mass following. They look foolish or even tragic in retrospect, but they seemed divinely inspired to adherents at the time.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than leaving people adrift or having to conjure up saints to believe in, <strong>offer them yourself as the next savior<\/strong>. Encourage people to form a cult around you.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Charlatans of 16th- and 17th-century Europe were masters at luring and manipulating people. A key was attracting crowds, where people get caught up in a contagious passion and suspend independent judgment and skepticism.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modern-day charlatans in politics, entertainment, and business intuitively exploit the same psychological weaknesses; however, taking a systematic approach is most effective.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From studying the charlatans of old, it\u2019s easy to identify five proven steps to create a cultlike following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Concoct a vague and simple message<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-6-create-an-air-of-mystery\/\">Attract attention<\/a> with vague promises of something wonderful and transformative. Listeners will fill in the blanks with their own yearnings and beliefs. Speak forcefully and with passion, using words that resonate and stir nostalgia, but whose meaning can\u2019t be pinned down. But keep it simple because people want quick fixes, not complexity.<\/li><li><strong>Create a spectacle:<\/strong> To avoid waning interest and skepticism, give them a spectacle. Overwhelm the senses (and any ability to think) with sights, sound, scent, color, movement.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Imitate organized religion<\/strong>. Create a hierarchy, rituals, rankings, and religious-sounding titles. Ask for money to increase your wealth and power. Seem like a prophet or guru.<\/li><li><strong>Hide your income source.<\/strong> By living a luxurious lifestyle you\u2019ll give your followers hope and something to aspire to, but don\u2019t let them know they\u2019re your source. Make your wealth seem like proof of the validity of your message. While busy trying to emulate you, your followers won\u2019t notice they\u2019re being fleeced.<\/li><li><strong>Give them enemies<\/strong>: To keep your followers united, set up an us-against-the-world dynamic. This should be easy, since you\u2019ll generate outside critics as your movement grows. Then give them enemies, real or invented. They\u2019ll vigorously defend their new cause against unbelievers.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Putting Law 27 to Work<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example of how to apply Law 27 of the 48 Laws of Power: In the late 1700s, a French doctor, Franz Mesmer created a mass following with claims he could cure people of all ills by using magnetic forces. He invited people to his apartment for demonstrations; with a background of incense and harp music, people sat around a pool of supposedly magnetic water, from which rods protruded. Visitors touched their bodies with the rods, and held hands with their neighbors to channel the magnetic force.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mesmer\u2019s assistants sprinkled water on participants and rubbed the supposedly healing fluid into the skin. Participants experienced trance-like states or hysteria, and felt a strange power moving through their bodies.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Word of Mesmer\u2019s powers spread, and his fame and wealth grew, even attracting royalty. A cult of \u201cMesmerism\u201d was born and societies formed around the country to experiment with magnetism. Eventually, however, a French commission investigated and debunked his practices and theories. Mesmer\u2019s reputation was ruined and he retired, but a few years later his cult revived and spread again. Mesmer knew how to create a cultlike following.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the right mix of spectacle, message, and religious fervor, you can get people to believe anything, and make you powerful and wealthy.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exceptions to Law 27<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Are there any exceptions to Law 27 of the 48 Laws of Power? Should you ever <em>not<\/em> create a cultlike following? Because of group psychology, it\u2019s easier to get a group to believe you than an individual. But the downside is that if the group sees through you, you\u2019ll face an angry mob. Europe\u2019s charlatans faced this risk \u2014 people eventually figured out that their potions didn\u2019t work \u2014 and so they were always ready to move to the next town and find new followers.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Always stay attuned to your crowd\u2019s emotions, pay attention to how people are behaving, and be ready to run. But if you can do it safely, follow Law 27: Play on People&#8217;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview of Law #27: Play on People&#8217;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following People desperately want to believe in something. Offer them a cause to follow. Promise the world but keep it vague; whip up enthusiasm. Mimic a religious structure with a hierarchy, rituals, and requests for sacrifice (donations). Create a cultlike following. You\u2019ll have untold power over your followers, who will worship you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,24],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-1265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-society","tag-48-laws-of-power","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>48 Laws of Power | Law 27: Play on People&#039;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In The 48 Laws of Power, Law 27 is &quot;Play on People&#039;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following.&quot; Learn what Law 27 means and how to use it to gain power.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"48 Laws of Power | Law 27: Play on People&#039;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In The 48 Laws of Power, Law 27 is &quot;Play on People&#039;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following.&quot; Learn what Law 27 means and how to use it to gain power.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-09-20T11:02:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-08T13:37:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/48-laws-of-power-law-27.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"777\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"517\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amanda Penn\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/01b0e4c9ddb993e51d03808839d538b0\"},\"headline\":\"48 Laws of Power | Law 27: Play on People&#8217;s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-09-20T11:02:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-08T13:37:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\"},\"wordCount\":899,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/48-laws-of-power-law-27.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The 48 Laws of Power\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Career\",\"Society\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-27-play-on-peoples-need-to-believe-to-create-a-cultlike-following\/\",\"name\":\"48 Laws of Power | Law 27: Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following - 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