Rating: 
Summary: A Social Psych Book We Can Use
Review: It's nice to finally find a book on social psychology that is actually useful. Most books that purport to teach you something about social influence are full of obvious rules such as "don't be rude to people without reason" or contradict themselves. This one doesn't. This book is primarily a study of psychological compliance-- what causes a person to agree to something they normally wouldn't. Cialdini rushes to explain that the techniques explained here aren't a panacea, something that elevated him in my mind-- this wasn't an "unbeatable control over everyone you meet" book. It's well-supported with references to both real-world situations and psychological experiments, and the author explains in great detail not only how the techniques are used, but also why they work and how to counteract them. What I found most interesting, however, is how many of the same compliance techniques Cialdini uses to get us to accept his ideas. For instance, this book is written as a guide for the victims of compliance techniques: us (Cialdini goes to great lengths to include himself in this group, using the techniques of similarity and cooperation). This is enhanced even more by his consistent use of the word "us"-- he wants us to think of him as one of us, because it increases compliance: in this case, acceptance of the book. This comes off as more amusing and instructive than anything else, because it really is a well-written and interesting book, with all sorts of helpful information in it. Probably the best book in the field.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for the Intelligent Consumer
Review: The human mind is a wonderful thing, capable of the most wonderful thought processes and ideas. Yet the brain is on automatic pilot for most situations. That allows the conscious mind to really focus. The drawback is that some people will use our conscious inattention to sneak one by us, like a fastball pitch to a hitter looking for a change-up. Influence, the book, is very useful in this regard, because it uses interesting examples to help us be aware of our own tendency to let automatic pilot thinking take over. Since I first read this book many years ago, I have been watching to see if the circumstances I see support or invalidate Professor Cialdini's points. By a margin of about 9 to 1, Cialdini wins. Given that we are easily manipulated by our desire to be and to appear to be consistent with our past actions and statements, swayed by what the crowd is doing, and various other mechanisms, the only way we can be armed against unscrupulous marketing is to be as aware of these factors are the marketers are. At the same time, I appreciated how the book explores the ethics of when and how much to apply these principles. Without this discussion, the book would come off like Machiavelli's, The Prince, for marketing organizations. That would have been a shame. By dealing with the ethics, Professor Cialdini creates the opportunity to educate us intellectually and morally. Well done! I have read literally dozens of books about marketing and selling, and I find this one to be the most helpful in thinking about how influence actually works. Even if you will never work in marketing, you will benefit from reading this book in order to better focus your purchases and actions where they fit your needs rather than someone else's.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing how we act
Review: Learn the tricks of a politician and used car salesmen! Don't get caught offguard anymore - highly informative book
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent psychology made accessible
Review: Cialdini has an engaging style that comes through not only in his anecdtodes and personal experiences, but also in the way he makes psychological theory accessible to a wide audience. Whether you are looking for practical information about how influence works, or want to understand more about the various theories of the psychology of influence, this book is an enjoyable and intelligent read.
Rating:
Summary: The Book'll leave you Froze, like Heroin in your Nose.
Review: No worries for Cialdini as he sits smugly on his throne, crown and all...<cough>. The principles on this book are priceless, timeless, cop it, feel for it...let it enter you. Sit back, and let your eyes glaze over the Classic. For good or evil....use it as you wish. <Tear Drops and Closed Caskets> MB. MarkBlaze@hotmail.com
Rating:
Summary: must know for every manager
Review: Exiting observation of everyday life & business triks, well ranged in category, easily understandible for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful approach
Review: This book filled all my expectations. I'm working in the advertising field and it gave me many lights about the way the people can be funneled into strange behaviors. The language is easy and the examples very well selected. It's funny (and scary) to realize how easy can our acts be directed by other people. It's a gem.
Rating: 
Summary: Tired anecdotes. 'Book' should have just been an mag.article
Review: If you are interested in this topic, you can get all the information needed by just reading the short table of contents. The endorsements of the book certainly confirm an adherence to the principles outlined in the book and for that there is a certain integrity to the joke that it is. The stories the book uses to outline some methods of influence are tired, many 20-30 years old. It is not completely uninteresting or worthless, it is just that any useful information can be garnered from the book in about as much time as it takes to read a magazine article, which is what it should have been. Any person seriously interested in this topic should look elsewhere for either 1)a more sophisticated academic analysis; 2)a more useful guide to noticing these actions in others (other than a "watch out for _____"); 3)a more powerful handbook for the application of these principles (a great book here is The 48 Laws of Power by Joost Elffers & Robert Greene)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but a bit biased and contradictory
Review: First of all, I think this is an excellent book that educates readers on the main ways they can be brainwashed and how to guard against that. The content of the book is excellent and its readibility is refreshing as well. The reader is not engulfed in extraneous technical jargon that many books are filled with. However, there are two things I've noticed while reading this book that I am critical of. First of all, I noticed that he only quotes research that supports his view that those principles are very effective. I know many people who would not be swayed by any of those persuasion techniques, including myself. I know of research that contradicts the power of those principles as well. Second, the book is clear that its intention is to help the reader safeguard himself/herself against these brainwashing techniques, HOWEVER the front and back covers of the book give the impression that it will help marketers. So there is a conflict of interest here. If he is writing the book to educate and protect the consumer, then WHY is he saying on the cover that MARKETERS and ADVERTISERS can also use the techniques in his book to brainwash the public? He does this by allowing the quote on the front cover from the Journal of Marketing Research. Winston
Rating:
Summary: Cialdini's "Influence" is one of the best books I've read
Review: This book was mandatory reading for us when we studied business administration at the University of Stockholm. It is a very, very good book, regardless if you're reading it to achieve business advantages or for pure amusement. I've become very popular at work by lending this book to my colleagues!
| 
