How to Change Behaviours: Social Influences

We are more likely to do something when we see someone else do it first. In scientific terms, it’s called mimetic desire. It’s the idea that we don’t really desire anything different until we see another human doing it.

Most human desires are provoked by others. Our species may have evolved yet our brains still retain throwbacks from herding behaviour. There’s safety in numbers and you don’t want to be the vulnerable one with your neck sticking out. It’s the bandwagon effect; the more people doing it, the more likely your are to get on board.

As part of finding social acceptance, we are also heavily influenced by confirmation biases, where we predominantly listen to information that matches our own beliefs. We seek out people that fit our values and opinions that match our own. No-one naturally wants to be an outsider for the sake of it. What it comes down to is a sense of trust and respect. The less we conform, the less we are trusted.

When we take part in shared social interactions, our brains release the chemical oxytocin, which is dubbed the ‘trust hormone’. Everyone knows their place and gets along. Without this process, it would be the social equivalent of the front of the queue at the department store doors on Black Friday.

Authority figures also provide huge social cues. People we look up to and admire give us a sense of social permission so we can feel comfortable taking steps without the fear of looking strange or feeling awkward. The fashion industry wouldn’t exist without this behaviour pattern. You may not have dreamed about buying that tangerine turtleneck embellished with sequins, but once you see a celeb wearing it, you Amazon Prime it so you can show it off the very next day.
What does this mean for behaviour change? Well, once you understand the social influences underlying someone’s decisions, you can begin to re-engineer those decisions.

Let’s look at a few examples…