Heuristic of the Day: Social Proof

How much can peers, family, or complete strangers on the internet influence your actions??

Social Proof, also commonly called herd mentality or normative social influence, describes our tendency to base decisions and judgments on popularity or the strength of the group that’s made a specific decision. As the strength of the group rises, we are more influenced by their way of thinking and decision-making.?

Social Proof appears for two reasons: the ability of other people to provide the information we do not have and the desire to fit in with our social groups. People tend to think that others have more information in a given situation and thus know what to do.?

Social Proof can lead to suboptimal decisions if the situational context is not taken into account. When people rely too heavily on other people’s behavior it can lead to group conformity and convergence on one decision or behavior purely because others are doing it.?

Use Social Proof strategically, specifically, and consciously to make better decisions by resisting the impulse to use it as a broad, default strategy in any and all scenarios. Sometimes, you have to fight Social Proof, and sometimes you benefit from Social Proof.

Read more about Social Proof at the Heuristics Science Insitute: https://newristics.com/heuristics-biases/social-proof

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