7 Secrets of Persuasion

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Foreword 2. Speak the Language of the Lizard: Basic Grammar

GETTING TO KNOW THE LIZARD

Whetherpersuadingyourboss,yourkids,oryourspouse,orpersuading
millionstoeathealthierfoods,tovoteforyourcandidate,ortochoosea
Galaxyphone,persuasionoftenfails.Abetterunderstandingofthemind
improvesthechanceofsuccess.

Recentdiscoveriesinpsychology,behavioraleconomics,and
neurosciencedramaticallyexpandwhatweknowabouthowwechoose
andshouldchangehowweattempttopersuade.Wevelearnedthat
consciousnessisnotcentraltomostofourdecisions.Itfeelscentral,but
scientificevidenceshowsthatconsciousnessusuallytakesabackseat.
Thisturnstheconventionalwisdomofpersuasiononitsheadandmay
explainwhypersuasionattempts,whetherofonepersonorofmany,
oftendontwork.

Asaprofessionalpersuaderfor27yearsmainlyasChiefStrategic
OfficerofDDBChicagoandaWorldwideBrandPlanningDirectorI
wasinchargeofanalyzingwhatshouldwork,whatdidwork,andwhat
didntworkforsuchclientsasBudweiser,Dell,DiscoverCard,and
Westin.Ifoundmyselfpuzzledbybothfailuresandsuccesses,andspent
agreatdealoftimetryingtofigureoutwhatmadeanadvertisementgo
onewayoranother.Theconventionalwisdomofadvertisingdidntseem
toapply.AsIstudiedthelatestresearchintoourbrainsandourdecision
making,Ibegantoseewhy.Ibecameintriguedwithscientistswho,for
thefirsttime,weresheddinglightonthedarkmatterofthemind.Icould
seewhythetraditionalapproachtoadvertisingfailedandhowwehadto
updateourideasonpersuasion.

Thisbooktakesthelatestscientificinsightsaboutthemindandapplies
themtotheartofpersuasion.Untilnow,persuasionhasbeenhitormiss
becausewouldbepersuadersdidntunderstandhowwechoose.But
thankstothegroundbreakingresearchofsuchscientistsasDaniel
Kahneman,AmosTversky,andothersbeginning40yearsago,inwhat
hasbeenarevolutioninmindscience,todaywebetterunderstandhow
wemakedecisions.Itranslatethisrevolutionintopracticaltechniques
forsuccessfulpersuasion.Thesetechniqueswillhelpanyonebecome
morepersuasive,whetherthegoalistoinfluenceonepersonarelative,
friend,orcolleagueorthemanywhomightpurchaseanAppleWatchor
aChevy.

Wehavetwodifferentwaysofthinking:(1)theautomaticsystemour
nonconsciousmentalprocesses,and(2)thereflectivesystemour
consciousmentalprocesses.Wenowknowtheautomaticsystemaffects
allourchoicesandisthesoleinfluenceinmany.Therootsofour
automatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemlieinancientbrainstructures
wesharewithlizardsand,indeed,allvertebrates.Althoughthedegreeof
developmentofthenonconsciousmindvariesconsiderablyacross
species,itsbasicfunctionremainsthesame:topursuepleasureandavoid
pain.TheautomaticmentalsystemiswhatRichardThalerandCass
1
Sunsteinreferredtoasthelizardinside.

Thaler,Sunstein,andIdontmeantodisparagetheautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystembycallingitthelizardinside.Thankstoour
automaticsystemwecanwalk,talk,understandtheinputofoursenses,
developlikesanddislikes,choosefriends,andfallinlove.Thelizardis
smartandintuitive.Itswhowearewhenwearentthinkingaboutit.The
lizardactswithoutconsciousdeliberation,instantly,effortlessly,and
cantbeturnedoff.

Thelizardlooksatlifedifferentlythanourconsciousmentalsystem.

Forthelizard,whatcomesmosteasilytomindseemsmosttrue.The
lizardcanttellthedifferencebetweenfamiliarityandaccuracy.

Forthelizard,peoplearewhattheydonomatterwhytheydoit.The
lizardfocusesonactionandignoresmotivation.

Becauseofthelizard,persuasionshouldaimattheactratherthanthe
attitude,asbehavioriseasiertochange.

Becauseofthelizard,weshouldneveraskpeoplewhytheydowhatthey
do.Peopledontknowwhy,buttheythinktheydo.Youcanfindoutwhat
youneedtoknow,butyouwontfindoutbyasking.

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Thelizardispartialtoimmediate,certain,andemotionalrewards,but

goodforyouchoiceslikedieting,savingmoney,orstoppingsmoking
offertheopposite.Understandingthelizardallowsyoutotransform
rewards,changingthedelayedintotheimmediate,theuncertainintothe
certain,andtherationalintotheemotional.

Thesevensecretsofpersuasionrevealedinthisbookarenotacollection
ofseparatetechniquesthatyouneedtochooseamong.Youcanuseany
one,two,orallofthemwheneveryouattempttopersuade,whetheryou
seektopersuadeoneormany,andwhetherthegoalisimportantor
trivial.

Thesecretsofpersuasionsucceedbydealingwiththelizard.

THE LIZARD
Youmayhaveaspouse.Youverylikelyhaveareligion.Youcertainly
haveanumberoffriends.Howdidyouchoosethem?

Didyouevaluateeachpersonrelativetoothersontheirspousepotential?
Didyouanalyzeallreligionsandchoosetheoneyoufoundmost
compelling?Doyourememberconsideringthewiderangeofpeopleyou
knowandselectingcertainindividualstobeyourfriends?

Ofcoursenotnoonedoes.Eventhoughthesechoicesmaybethemost
importantdecisionsofyourlife,youdidntgothroughanyconscious
processtomakethem.Youmadethechoices.Youjustdontknowexactly
how.

Wedontmakechoicesthewaywethinkwedo.Wethinkweconsciously
considertheoptionsandwebelieveweknowwhywepickoneoption
overtheothers.Itdoesntworkthatway.Nomatterhowitfeels,
consciousnessisnotcrucialtomostofourdecisions.Ourconsciousmind
isoftenontheperipheryofourchoices.

InthewordsofJonathanMillerintheNewYorkReviewofBooks,
Humanbeingsoweasurprisinglylargeproportionoftheircognitive
andbehavioralcapacitiestotheexistenceofanautomaticselfofwhich
theyhavenoconsciousknowledgeandoverwhichtheyhavelittle
2
voluntarycontrol.

Formostchoices,ournonconscious,automaticmentalsystem,thelizard
inside,isincharge.Topersuadethelizard,wemustunderstanditand
speakitslanguage.

DavidEaglemanisaneuroscientistatBaylorCollegeofMedicine,where
hedirectsboththeLaboratoryforPerceptionandActionandthe
InitiativeonNeuroscienceandLaw.Inhisbook,Incognito:TheSecret
LivesoftheBrain,Eaglemantellsusthattherealizationthat
consciousnessisnotcentraltobehaviorisasradicalastherealization
3
thattheearthisnotthecenterofthesolarsystem. Derision,anger,
andprosecutionmetGalileosannouncement.TheVaticancensoredhis
worksfor200years.

Topeopleinthe17thcentury,itwasobviousthattheearthwasthecenter
ofthesolarsystem.Theycouldfeelitintheirboneswhenthesunpassed
overheadeachday.Itseemsjustascleartousthatconsciousnessis
centraltoourbehavior.But,inbothcases,scientificevidencetothe
contraryisundeniable.

SigmundFreudfirstbroughtattentiontotheunconscious.Heunderstood
theimportanceofournonconsciousprocesses,buthemisunderstood
theirnature.Freudbelievedthattheunconsciouscontainedprimitive
urgesforsexandaggressionthataresopowerfulweneedtokeepthem
outofawareness.Whatweunderstandtodayaboutmentalprocesses
outsideofconsciousawarenessisfarfromtheroilingsetofembarrassing
desiresthatcometomindwhenmostpeoplethinkofFreuds
unconscious.

Contemporarypsychologistsdonotwanttheirworkonnonconscious
processestosharetheconnotationsoftheFreudianunconscious.They
havegenerallyavoidedthetermunconsciousandreferredto
nonconsciousprocessesasimplicit,preattentive,orsubconscious.
Unfortunately,theselabelssuggestournonconscioussystemissomehow
lessimportantthanourconscioussystem.

DanielKahnemansolvedthatproblembycallingnonconscious
processes,orthinkingfast,System1,andcallingconsciousprocesses,
4
orthinkingslow,System2. ButSystem1andSystem2makeittoo
hardtokeeptrackofwhichisconsciousandwhichisnonconscious.

ThalerandSunsteinusedlabelsthatarebothdescriptiveand
memorable.RichardThaler,aneconomistattheUniversityofChicago,
workingwithCassSunstein,aprolificlegalscholaratHarvardLaw
School,wrotetheirbestsellingNudgetoshowhowthescienceofchoice
couldbeusedtonudgepeopletowarddecisionsthatwillmaketheirlives
5
better. ThalerandSunsteindescribenonconsciousprocessesasthe
automaticsystemandconsciousprocessesasthereflectivesystem.

IllborrowfromThalerandSunsteinandrefertoournonconscious
mentalprocessesastheautomaticsystem(thatis,thelizardinside)and
refertoourconsciousmentalprocessesasthereflectivesystem.
Automaticandreflectiveareclearandavoidsuggestingthat
nonconsciousprocessesaresubordinate.

Boththeautomaticandreflectivementalsystemsareactivewheneverwe
areawake.Thelizardinside,theautomatic,nonconsciousmental
system,usuallytakestheleadgeneratingimpressions,feelings,
inclinations,andimpulseswhereasourreflective,consciousmental
systemgoesalongwiththeautomaticsystemssuggestionsunless
provoked.

Thementalsystemoutsideofourawarenessismuchmoreinfluential

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thanwerealize,havingapowerfulinfluenceonallourchoicesand

judgments.Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystem,thelizard
inside,notonlyinfluencestheoptionswechoose,butalsoplaysakey
role,oftenthesolerole,inoriginatinganyactionwetake.

Ourreflective,conscioussystemisimportantinsomeactions,especially
thoseforwhichwewerenotwellpreparedbyevolutionlikedieting,
calculus,andscience,ornotwellpreparedbyfrequentrepetitionorhabit
likefindingourwayinanunfamiliarcity,orfollowingtheprotocolof
meetingroyalty.

Theautomaticsystem,thelizardinside,directsallthoseinternal
proceduresthatkeepusalivebloodpumping,breathing,digestion.But
thatisjustthebeginning.Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystem
enablesustounderstandwhatweseeorhearturningthemassive
amountsofdatacominginthroughoursensesintounderstandable
patterns.Ourautomaticsystemallowsustospeakandstayuprightand
catchaflyball.Becauseallthesewondrousoperationstakeplaceoutside
ofconsciousawareness,wefindithardtogivecredit.Eagleman
comparesourconsciousmindtoatinystowawayonatransatlantic
steamship,takingcreditforthejourneywithoutacknowledgingthe
6
massiveengineeringunderfoot.

Inordertosucceedatpersuasionwehavetodealwiththelizardinside,
theautomaticmentalsystem.Wehavetolearnhowthelizardworksand
howitcanbeinfluenced.

Psychologists,neuroscientists,andbehavioreconomistshavespelledout
thedifferencesbetweenthereflective,consciousmentalsystemandthe
automatic,nonconsciousmentalsystem.Thefollowingchartsummarizes
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thedifferences.

Thereflective,consciousmentalsystemhasonemodule.Ourconscious
mentalsystemiseitheronoroff.Weareeitherconsciousorwearenot.

Theautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemconsistsofmultiple
modules.Ourautomaticmentalsystemguidesmanylargelyindependent
activitiesdigestion,circulation,breathing,depthperception,balance,
language,andsoon.Patientswithbraindamagecancompletelylose
certaincapabilities,likedepthperception,whereasothercapabilities,
likelanguage,functionnormally.

Thereflectivesystemisslowanddeliberate,buttheautomaticsystemis
fast.AstudybypsychologistsatNorthwesternUniversityillustratedthe
speedoftheautomatic,nonconscioussystemrelativetothereflective,
8
conscioussystem.

Participantswereshownonacomputerscreenhumanfacesexpressing
surprise.Unbeknownsttotheparticipants,beforetheysawthesurprised
faces,theywereshown,for30milliseconds,faceseitherwithfearful
expressionsorhappyexpressions.At30milliseconds,or3/100ofa
second,thefearfulorhappyexpressionsweretoobriefforparticipantsto
beconsciouslyawareofthem.

Participantsthenratedthesurprisedfacesfromextremelypositiveto
extremelynegative.

Participantswhounconsciouslysawtheinitialfearfulmicroexpressions
ratedthesurprisedfacesmorenegativelythanparticipantswho
unconsciouslysawtheinitialhappymicroexpressions.

Theautomatic,nonconscioussystemsawtheinitialfacesshownfor
3/100ofasecond,interpretedthemeaning,andprovidedconsciousness
withaninclinationthatinfluencedconsciousperceptioneventhough
consciousnesshadnoideatheinitialpictureswereshown.

Whenwemeetnewpeople,theirfacesoftenreveal,foraninstant,their
pleasureorlackofpleasureinmeetingus.Afterthatinstant,whichistoo
fastforourconsciousmindtopickup,theirpolitesmilesareinplace.But
ourautomaticsystemcatchestheinstantaneousexpressionsandleaves
uswithavaguelypositiveornegativefeelingaboutthenewpeople.

Thesepsychologistssuggestthatwecontinually,automatically,and
unconsciouslyscantheenvironmentforthreats.Insearchingforthreats,
speedisessential.

ImagineyouareasalespersoninaFordshowroomandamanwalksin
thedoorthinkingaboutbuyingacar.Ifyoudontgenuinelylikethat
potentialbuyerevenbeforehewalksin,youarealreadyinahole.The
buyerinstantly,effortlessly,andwithoutevenknowingit,senseswhat
youthinkofhim.Whathesenseswillaffectyourentireinteraction.If
youwanttosellmorecars,workongenuinelylikingpeopleevenbefore
youmeetthem.WillRogerssaid,IneveryetmetamanthatIdident
9
like. Willwouldhavebeenaheckofasalesman.

Irecentlyboughtacaranddidntanalyzetheexperienceatthetime.But
whenmywifeaskedmeaboutit,IrealizedthatIhadgottenthe
immediateimpressionthatthesalesmaninthefirstdealershipthought

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veryhighlyofhimselfandalotlesshighlyofme.Hemayhavebeen

right,butheseemedtoformthatjudgmentevenbeforehemetme.It
souredtheinteractionandIboughtthecarsomewhereelse.

Thereflective,consciousmentalsystemhaslimitedcapacity,whereasthe
automatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemhasenormouscapacity.
Scientistshaveestimatedthecapacityofourmentalsystems.By
examiningourabilitytodistinguishsounds,smells,tastes,andstimulito
theskin,aswellasthenumberoflinguisticbitswecanprocesswhenwe
readorlisten,scientistsestimatethatourreflective,consciousmental
systemcanprocessabout40piecesofinformationasecond.

Theyhavealsogottenagoodideaofthebandwidthofourautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystembycountinghowmanynerveconnections
sendsignalstothebrainandhowmanysignalseachconnectionsendsa
second.Theeyesalonesend10millionpiecesofinformationtothebrain
everysecond.Therestofoursensestogethertouch,sound,smell,taste
sendmorethanonemillionmorepiecesofinformationeverysecond.
Inotherwords,ournonconsciousmentalsystemprocessesthe
11,000,000piecesofinformationpersecondthataresubmittedbyour
senses.

Thedifferenceintheestimatedcapacityofthetwomentalsystemsisso
largethatsomemightdoubttheaccuracyoftheestimates.Butevenif
thoseestimatesarewayoff,thecapacityoftheautomatic,nonconscious
systemstilldwarfsthecapacityofthereflective,conscioussystem.Ifthe
actualcapacityoftheautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemisonethird
thecurrentscientificestimateandtheactualcapacityofthereflective,
consciousmentalsystemisthreetimesgreaterthanthecurrentscientific
estimate,thecapacityoftheautomaticsystemisstill25,000timeslarger
thanthecapacityofthereflectivesystem.

Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemusesthatmassivecapacityto
dotriage.Thelizardobservesthedelugeofincominginformation
decidingwhattoignore,whattoleaveuptoautomaticprocesses,and
10
whattopassintoconsciousness(seeNorretranders ).Ourautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystemprocessesthefloodofincoming
information,mostofwhichdoesnotevenenterourconsciousness.In
handlingthisinformation,ourautomaticsystemcandomuchmorethan
weimagine.

PawelLewickiestablishedtheNonconsciousInformationProcessing
LaboratoryattheUniversityofTulsa.Workingwithhiscolleagues,
Lewickiillustratedtheremarkableabilityoftheautomatic,nonconscious
11
mentalsystemwithasimpleexperiment. Participantslookedata
computerscreendividedintofourquadrants.Periodically,anXwould
appearinoneofthequadrantsandtheparticipantpressedoneoffour
keystoindicatethequadrantinwhichtheXappeared.Thoughthe
participantsdidnotknowit,thesequenceofquadrantsinwhichtheX
appearedfollowedacomplexpattern.Forexample,theXwouldnever
returntoaparticularquadrantuntilithadfirstappearedinatleasttwoof
theotherquadrants.Becauseofitscomplexity,noparticipantconsciously
realizedtherewasapattern.

TheexperimenterstimedhowlongittookfromappearanceoftheX
untilthekeywaspressedindicatinginwhichquadrantitappeared.The
timefromappearanceoftheXuntilthekeywaspressedisameasureof
theeaseordifficultyofthetask.Withrepetition,participantsbecame
fasterandfasterindicatingthattheyhadnonconsciouslylearnedthe
underlyingcomplexpattern.Whenthepatternchanged,participants
speedslowedbecausetheycouldnolongernonconsciouslyanticipate
wheretheXwouldappear.Participantsintheexperimentclearly
learnedtheunderlyingpattern,buttheyconsciouslyhadnoideathat
therewasanunderlyingpattern,noideathattheylearnedit,andno
ideawhytheirspeedslowedwhenthepatternchanged.

Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemhasaccesstofarmore
informationthanourreflectivesystemandourautomaticsystemisquite
skilledatinterpretingthatinformation.

Ourautomaticsystem,inthewordsofneuroscientists,iscapableof
DecidingAdvantageouslyBeforeKnowingtheAdvantageous
12
Strategy. Inanexperimentthatillustratedthispoint,scientistsatthe
UniversityofIowaaskedparticipantstoturnovercardsfromoneoffour
decksplacedbeforetheminasimulatedgamblingtask.Mostofthetime,
turningoveracardledtoareward,butoccasionallyandunpredictably,a
cardledtoaloss.Participantshadnowayofknowingthattwoofthe
decksweremoreriskythantheothers.Participantsbegantoavoidthe
riskydecksshortlyaftertheexperimentbegan,evenbeforethey
consciouslyknewwhichdeckswererisky.Infact,theirperspiration
revealedthattheseparticipantsbegantofeelemotionallyuncomfortable
whenevertheythoughtaboutchoosingacardfromariskydeckeven
beforetheyconsciouslyknewitwasariskychoice.Theautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystemsensedriskbeforethereflectivesystemwas
consciousofit.Theautomaticsystemcommunicatedthatriskand
influencedchoicethroughemotion.

Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemhasthecapabilitytotake
advantageofpatternsthataresocomplexorsosubtlethattheynever
evenreachtheawarenessofourreflective,conscioussystem.

Reflective,consciousthinkingiseffortful.Automatic,nonconscious
thinkingiseffortless.Toillustratethispoint,imagineyouwishto
calculatetheproductof57times75.Thisrequiresconsciouseffortand
attention.Bycontrast,carryingonaconversationinournative
languageiseffortless.Wedonthavetotrytounderstandwhatsomeone
issayingtous.Infact,wecantturntheautomaticsystemoff.We
understandwhatsomeoneissayingevenifwedontwantto.

Whenwerealizehowmuchworkitistocarryonaconversationina
languagewearestartingtolearn,weseethatconversationisa
marvelousmentalfeat.
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Withlongandrepeatedeffort,wecandevelopthefacilitytomake
conversationinanotherlanguageeffortless.Thereflective,conscious
systemcanpassataskovertoourautomaticsystemwhenmuch
repetitionmakesthetaskeasy.Bicycleridingandpianoplaying(forthe
accomplishedpianist)areadditionalexamplesoftasksthatcanbesowell
learnedthattheybecomeeffortlessandpassovertotheautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystem.

Ourreflective,conscioussystemoperatesonlywhenweintenditto
operate.Itisintentionalandonlyoccasionallyengaged.Ourautomatic,
nonconscioussystemoperateswhetherwewantittoornot.Itis
unintentionalandinexorable.

Ourreflective,consciousmentalsystemgenerallyrelaxesinthe
backgroundofourthinkingandonlytakeschargewhenitfocusesona
taskthattheautomaticsystemcanthandle,suchasfillingoutatax
return.Ontheotherhand,ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemis
activelyengagedwheneverweareawake.Wecantreallyshutitoff.If
welookoutthewindow,wecannotavoidarrangingthemanymillionsof
lightimpressionsreceivedintoacoherent3Dimage.

Mostofthetime,ourlazyconsciousmentalsystemwillacceptthe
suggestionsofthelizardandgoon.

Ourdeliberatesystemtakesthelongviewandcanplanforthefuture.
Ourautomaticsystemisonlyconcernedaboutthehereandnow.

Ourreflective,consciousmentalsystemcananticipatewhatsahead,
imaginetheconditions,anddecidetosave.Ourautomatic,nonconscious
mentalsystemcannotencourageustosaveforretirementbecauseit
doesntthinkaboutwhatthefuturewillhold.Thelizardinsidedealswith
immediategratification.

Ourdeliberate,consciousmentalsystemiscapableoflearningnew
tasks.Ourautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystemperformstasksthat
areinnate,orhabitual,orinwhichwehavebecomeexpertthrough
sustainedrepetition.

Wearealreadyfamiliarwithourreflectivesystembecauseitistheuswe
know.Thereflectivesystemgivesrisetoagriculture,science,
technology,andmostanythingwemightlearninschool.But,onadaily
basis,ourautomaticsystemisinchargeofmostofouractions.Wearenot
familiarwiththeautomatic,nonconsciousmentalsystembecause,by
definition,itsworkingstakeplaceoutsideofconsciousness.

Thisbookemphasizestheautomaticmentalsystembecauseitsrolein
everydayactionsmakesitthemostpromisingtargetforpersuasion
attempts.

PERSUASIONS TWO CHALLENGES

Thefirstchallengeistogetsomeonetodosomethingthattheymight
otherwisenotdo.Forexample,youmightwantapotentialvoterwhois
partialtoyourcandidatetoactuallyvoteinsteadofstayinghome,oryou
mightwantsomeonetorecycleanaluminumcaninsteadofdiscardingit.

Thesecondchallengeistogetsomeonetonotdosomethingtheymight
otherwisedo.Youmightwantasmokertoresisttheurgetosmoke,oryou
mightwantateentonotexperimentwithdrugs.

Sometimesthebestwaytogetpeopletonotdoaparticularthingistoget
themtochooseaspecificalternative.Thebestwaytogetsomeonetonot
eatacookiemaybetogethimorheratthatmomenttoeatanapple.The
bestwaytogetpeopletonotdial911whentheyneednonemergencyhelp
maybetogetthemtodial311.Butsometimeswhenourgoalistoget
someonetonotdosomething,thealternative,theinsteadof,isnot
specific.Whenayoungpersondoesnotexperimentwithdrugs,thereis
likelynothinginparticularthattheydoinstead.Similarly,whena
persondoesnotsmoke,thereisoftennothinginparticularthattheydoas
analternative.

Whenweseektostimulateanactionwhetherforitsownsakeorto
replaceanactionwewanttostop,wemustdealwiththeautomatic,
nonconsciousmentalsystem.Theautomaticsystemoriginatesimpulses
toaction.Itiscentraltoourbehaviorandshouldbethefocusofmost
persuasion.

Whenweseektopreventanimpulsefromturningintoanactionandnot
replacethatoriginalimpulsewithanother,wemustdealwiththe
reflective,consciousmentalsystembutnotonlywiththereflective
system.Thereflectivesystemmonitorstheimpulsessuggestedbythe
automaticsystemandprohibitssomefromturningintoaction.Whenwe
donttellsomeonewhoisannoyingustogotohell,ourreflective
systeminterceptedthatnaturalimpulse.However,ourautomaticsystem
canaidthedeliberatedecisionnottotakeanactionbylinkingthataction
withundesirableassociations.

Letssayweseektopreventangrydriversfromgivingothersthe
finger,anactionthatalltoooftenescalatestoviolence.Thedeliberate,
consciousmentalsystemperformsthistaskmoreeasilyifourautomatic
systemassociatessomeonewhogivesthefingerwhiledrivingwiththe
13
notionofapatheticloser.

Inarelatedexample,apublicservicecampaignbyAustraliasRoadand
TrafficAuthoritysoughttoreducespeeding.Thetargetwasyoungmales.
Thecommercialsuggestedthatmenwhospeedareseenascompensating
forsmallpenises.Thewomenintheadsignaltheirunderstandingthat
speedingisdirectlyrelatedtosmallpenissizebyraisingtheirlittle
finger.

Whereasthereflectivesystemhastocontroltheimpulse,theassociations
oftheautomaticsystemcanreduceorincreasethepowerofthatimpulse.

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Iftheautomaticsystemassociatesspeedingwithcompensationfor

 unfortunatepenissize,thejobofthedeliberate,consciousmentalsystem
toreinintheimpulsetospeedismucheasier.

TheAustraliancampaignisanexampleofanefforttocontrolspeedingat
thesocietallevel.However,asimilarapproachwillworkaswellwith
controllingspeedingatthepersonallevel.Apassengermightcasually
commentwhenobservingaspeedingdriverinanothercarthatthe
speedingdriverisprobablytryingtocompensateforasmallpenis.After
afewsuchcomments,thedriverofthepassengerscarwilllikelybe
carefultoavoidspeedinghimself.Thereflectivesystemhastocontrolthe
impulsetospeed,butknowingthatthepassengerassociatesspeeding
withadiminutivepeniswillmakeiteasierforthedeliberate,conscious
mentalsystemtoreininthespeedingimpulse.

Thereflectivementalsystemisproperlytheprimaryinfluenceinsome
important,considereddecisions.Butevenwhenthereflectivemental
systemultimatelymakesadecision,theautomatic,nonconscioussystem
stillplaysalargerole.

Whatdecisioncouldbemoreproperforthereflectivementalsystemthan
decidingwhethertohavesurgeryorradiationtherapyintreatmentof
14
lungcancer?Yet,asTverskyandKahneman havedemonstrated,the
wordsusedtodescribetherisksradicallyalterthedecision.They
describedtherisksintwoways.Halfoftheirrespondentssawtheoptions
describedasfollows:

Surgery:Of100peoplehavingsurgery,90livethroughthe
postoperativeperiod,68arealiveattheendofthefirstyear,and34are
aliveattheendoffiveyears.

RadiationTherapy:Of100peoplehavingradiationtherapy,alllive
throughthetreatment,77arealiveattheendofoneyear,and22are
aliveattheendoffiveyears.

Theotherhalfsawtheexactsameoptionsdescribeddifferently:

Surgery:Of100peoplehavingsurgery,10dieduringsurgeryorthe
postoperativeperiod,32diebytheendofthefirstyear,and66diebythe
endoffiveyears.

RadiationTherapy:Of100peoplehavingradiationtherapy,nonedie
duringtreatment,23diebytheendofoneyear,and78diebytheendof
fiveyears.

Ingeneral,peopleprefersurgerytoradiationbecausesurgeryresultsin
betterlongtermsurvival.However,whentherisksaredescribedwith
differentwords,eventhoughtherisksthemselvesremainidentical,the
probabilitysomeonewillchooseradiationchangesdramatically.

Whentheoptionswerepresentedtosubjectsintermsofthechancesof
survival(thefirstdescription),18percentchoseradiationand82percent
chosesurgery.

Butwhentheequivalentoptionsweredescribedintermsofmortality,
morethantwiceasmanypeoplechoseradiation.Inthisgroup,44
percentchoseradiationand56percentchosesurgery.

Theriskswereexactlythesameinbothcases.Onlythewordsusedto
frametheriskschanged.Ourautomaticsystemreactstothewordsusedto
frametherisks.Thereactionofthelizardinsidetothewordsusedto
describetheoptionsmorethandoubledtheprobabilitythatthereflective
systemwouldchooseradiationtherapy.Incidentally,thesizeoftheeffect
wasthesameforbusinessstudents,clinicpatients,andexperienced
physicians.Thismeansthattheinfluenceofthelizardonthedecision
wasthesamenomatterthedeciderslevelofeducationorexperience.

Inordertosucceedatpersuasion,wehavetodealwiththelizardinside,
theautomaticmentalsystem.Wehavetoapplythesevensecretsof
persuasion:

1.Speakthelanguageofthelizard.Thenonconsciousmindhas
itsownparticularmethodofcommunication,alanguagewithits
owngrammarandstyle.

2.Aimattheact,nottheattitude.Changingwhatpeopledois
easierthanchanginghowtheyfeel.

3.Dontchangedesires,fulfillthem.Persuasionworksby
showingpeoplehowtogetwhattheywant.

4.Neverask,unearth.Peopledontknowwhytheydowhatthey
do,butyoucanfindoutanyway.

5.Focusonfeeling.Factswontalteranemotionalchoice.

6.Createexperiencewithexpectation.Whatpeopleexpectto
experiencetransformswhattheyactuallyexperience.

7.Addalittleart.Artmakesthenonconsciousmindyourally.

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