Today we will be talking with Vanessa Bohns. Vanessa is a social psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and an AB from Brown University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, and her research has been widely featured in the media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, and on NPR’s Hidden Brain. Her first book, You Have More Influence Than You Think, was just published in September 2021. [April 11, 2022]
00:00 – Intro
01:53 – Vanessa Bohns intro
02:43 – How did you make Social Influence your field?
05:48 – Why do we assume people will be negative when we make a request?
08:01 – The surprising results of asking for things
11:12 – We are wired to be agreeable
13:34 – What are the security implications of our default attitudes?
16:59 – What are the consequences of underestimating your own influence?
19:32 – Understanding how the situation can influence ethics
21:05 – What would you say is your favorite find?
21:48 – Enlisting someone to influence their ethics
24:00 – Paying attention to the human side of security
25:04 – What is your next study?
27:11 – The importance of a predefined script
28:54 – Will "keywords" change a person’s sense of agreeability?
30:10 – Recognizing your own influence
31:41 – Who would you consider some of your biggest mentors?
- Frank Flynn – Professor
- Father
33:39 – Book Recommendations:
35:47 – Guest Wrap Up
36:17 – Find Vanessa Bohns on the web
36:49 – Outro
