Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition

well worth the read, packed with insight and the discovery of a lifetime. Ranks among with Hidden Persuaders (Packard), the Alchemy of Finance (Soros), and Meditations (Aurelius) as few exemplars of fine scholarship, depth and coherence.

I thought this was going to be a cheesy marketing gimmick book. It turned out to be an actual, scientific approach to human (and sometimes animal) responses to social situations, and how they can be used to one's advantage. The more I read of the author's exploits, the more concerned I become by psychologists in general, but I can't put it down either. This was probably assigned reading for some college class or other at some point, but it actually has valuable content despite this. I found myself wanting to learn more about the field.

As I sit here and write, I wonder why I did not draft this review long before now. I read Cialdini's book about five years ago and have been hooked ever since. It is simply a superb book about influence.Cialdini believes that influence is a science. This idea attracted me. As a rhetorician, I have always thought of persuasion as more of an art. Cialdini, however, makes a first-rate case for the science point of view. But maybe most importantly, he makes his case in a well-written, intelligent, and entertaining manner. Not only is this an important book to read, it is a fun book to read too.He introduces you to six principles of ethical persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, liking, authority, social proof, and commitment/consistency. A chapter is devoted to each and you quickly see why Cialdini looks at influence as a science. Each principle is backed by social scientific testing and restesting. Each chapter is also filled with interesting examples that help you see how each principle can be applied. By the end of the book, I had little doubt that these are six important dimensions of human interaction.I highly recommend this book to all professionals. It does not matter if you are a manager, sales person, pastor, or non-profit volunteer. The ideas in this book, once applied, will make it easier for you to accomplish your goals. In a video featuring the author, Professor Cialdini even goes so far as to promise that these principles can help you influence the most resistant of all audiences--your children.With a claim like that, who wouldn't be intrigued? My advice is to read this sooner rather than later. You will be quite glad you did.