Hidden Brain Innovation 2.0: The Influence You Have
May 13, 2024
In this conversation with Vanessa Bohns, a Cornell University psychologist specializing in social influence, listeners explore the concept of egocentric bias. She reveals how people often overlook the power they hold when making requests. Bohns discusses the dynamics of social pressure, offering insights on how it skews our perception of influence. The episode sheds light on how understanding these biases can enhance personal connections and improve our ability to ask for what we need, reinforcing the importance of recognizing our own persuasive potential.
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Milgram's Early Curiosity
- Stanley Milgram, concerned about the Holocaust's implications, questioned how seemingly ordinary people could commit atrocities.
- He wondered if context, rather than inherent evil, shaped behavior in such situations.
The Milgram Experiment
- Milgram's obedience experiment involved volunteers administering escalating electric shocks to a "learner" for incorrect answers.
- Despite the learner's protests, many volunteers continued, highlighting the power of situational influence.
Flipping the Script
- Vanessa Bohns noticed that interpretations of Milgram's study focused on the volunteers' actions, not the experimenter's.
- She questioned why no one considered the experimenter's perspective and the difficulty of giving such directives.