Principles of persuasion...
...and a contender for the most nudges in the fewest words
Dear Church Leaders (and everyone else)
This is a short post bringing together strands from these two recent articles:
Part of the context here is the six principles of persuasion described by US psychologist Robert Cialdini:
Those principles feature prominently in this video testimony from UK psychologist Patrick Fagan:
From 01:47:
And so what people can do if they understand… these psychological processes is design messages and interventions that… hijack or hack [those] processes and make people more likely to behave in a certain way…
…for example… a text from the NHS for the covid vaccine where, in just 19 words [another coincidence?] they have managed to pack at least six so-called nudges — six of these levers that work on psychological biases… the 19 words being:
You have reached the top of the queue and are a priority for getting a free NHS covid-19 vaccine
So in saying there’s a queue, that’s a nudge called social proof, where if it’s popular it must be good.
Saying you have reached the top of the queue, that’s a nudge called commitment, where you feel invested, and you don’t want to lose your place in the queue.
Having you at the top of the queue and calling you a priority is using an ego appeal… so you feel special.
…also, saying you are a priority is a scarcity nudge so it feels like demand is bigger than supply, and you feel this urgency to go and get it.
Giving the vaccine for free is making it as easy as possible, which is very important in behavioural science, but also maybe using a reciprocity nudge so you feel a bit indebted to return the favour.
And finally, having it come from the NHS is using messenger effects, where people are more likely to do something for someone they like or trust. And people like and trust the NHS. Or at least they used to.
Here is a summary from Fagan’s written statement:
The rest of the video is no less instructive.
More broadly, this book — co-authored by Fagan — is well worth reading:
And I recommend hive.co.uk for ordering books online. Prices include postage. And every sale supports an independent bookshop.
Dear Church Leaders homepage (or via Substack, or e.g. DuckDuckGo, but not Google for some reason)
The Big Reveal — Christianity carefully considered (which can also be found via Substack, or e.g. DuckDuckGo, but not Google)