Why Do We Look At What Others Are Doing When Making Decisions?

“I don’t care what other people do.” Even though we say that, it doesn’t actually work that way. We have problems in many aspects of our lives, from shopping to traveling or entertainment. “social proof” There is a concept called.

All the decisions you make after realizing the details of social proof and how it affects our lives. You will question it from the beginning.

What is social proof?

In psychology, social proof occurs when individuals observe the behavior of other people around them and take them as a model. decision making tendency A term that expresses. Social proof describes the situation in which people look to others to understand what is right or appropriate, especially in situations of uncertainty.

American Psychologist Robert Cialdini Social proof, which consists of six persuasion principles he introduced, is a phenomenon we frequently encounter in daily life. This situation, which is based on an expert in the field, a famous person, a user, a crowd, friends and a certificate, can create both positive and negative experiences.

Get ready to be enlightened! Examples of social proof that we are unknowingly drawn to:

When shopping online, we often look at product reviews, right? If a product has hundreds of positive reviews “If this many people like it, it’s a good product.” We think and do the shopping.

It’s a similar situation when a post on social media gets a lot of likes. “If it got this many likes, I should like it too.” If you are one of those who say, you are under the influence of social proof. Products used or recommended by celebrities Getting it is also among the results of social proof.

Don’t just think product-focused. You have two restaurant options to go to for the first time: One is crowded, the other is almost empty. Most of us usually we prefer the crowded one Because people choosing there creates a perception that the place is good.

Wait, it’s not over yet.

In theaters or show programs deliberately placed audiences Did you know that it is? These people are usually the ones who initiate the applause or laughter, and the rest of us, the audience, follow them. Without realizing it, we think that what we watch is of high quality.

What if we told you that it also accompanies suicide cases? As the suicide rates published on television or social media increase, “copycat suicides” also comes out. Moreover, this is also proven by studies.

on Instagram or X blue tick We carry the traces of social proof in many areas, from purchasing money to having thousands of followers on social media.

We save time with the positive effects of social proof.

To speed up the decision-making process in situations of uncertainty and generally making the “right” decision, one of the most positive effects of social proof. In this way, we learn from the experiences of others and we are less likely to make the same mistakes. If a product has many negative reviews, stay away from that product. from loss of money and time We avoid it.

Every good thing has a price.

Of course, social proof can also have some negative aspects. As our own decision-making abilities weaken, we tend to do what everyone else does. This is actually our individual preferences and It puts pressure on our creativity.

Another of the biggest negative effects of this is the rapid spread of a wrong belief or behavior within the community. We often encounter misinformation going viral and its rapid spread shows the dark side of social proof.

While being a guide potentially misleading We are sure that you will think twice about social proof in your decision-making processes. The important thing is that we maintain our own independent thoughts rather than just following what others do.

If you have other examples of social proof, we welcome you to comment.

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