The Power of Social Proof in Daily Life

If I have the sense that people in my community are basically all doing something, it a becomes easier for me to want to do it. You can see countless examples of the power of social proof in daily life. The same principle is at work when you pass a collection plate at church or when volunteers from the Salvation Army ring a bell outside stores asking for donations. It helps to see that others have previously dropped money on the collection plate, or into a collection box. Even if we approve of the person ringing the bell asking us to contribute to some cause around Christmas time, but if we don't see other people doing it, it's not necessarily something that is likely to spur us to do