HBR On Leadership What Actually Works to Change Someone’s Mind
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Dec 31, 2025 
Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School and author of The Catalyst, reveals why traditional persuasion tactics often fail. He emphasizes that pushing people usually backfires. Instead, he suggests asking questions to help individuals feel in control of their decisions. Berger discusses how providing choices can lower resistance and mentions common barriers to change like reactance and loss aversion. He shares strategies for persuading colleagues and even negotiating for raises, highlighting the importance of guided conversation.
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Pushing Back Fires Up Resistance
- Pushing people with more facts or emotional appeals often increases resistance instead of causing change.
- Jonah Berger explains social influence differs from physical pushing because people ask, "Why haven't they changed already?"
Autonomy Drives Reactance
- People resist because they value autonomy and react against being told what to do.
- Berger uses the Tide Pod example to show explicit commands can increase the very behavior they try to stop.
Tide Pod Warnings Backfired
- Procter & Gamble's 'don't eat Tide Pods' campaign with Rob Gronkowski increased search and poison control activity.
- The warning unintentionally amplified curiosity and boosted the dangerous behavior according to Berger.
