Health

The power and danger of a seemingly innocuous commitment

Written By: Christopher Pilny
Christopher Pilny

Do you want to understand more about your own thoughts and motivations? Do you wish you had a better understanding of what motivates other people and drives their decisions? Has psychology always fascinated you, but you’ve been missing a way to apply those lessons practically in your day-to-day life?

“The Science of Success” is redOrbit’s newest podcast, featuring entrepreneur and investor Matt Bodnar, who explores the mindset of success, the psychology of performance, and how to get the most out of your daily life.

With gripping examples, concrete explanations of psychological research, interviews with scientists and experts, and practical ways to apply these lessons in your own life, “The Science of Success” is a must-listen for anyone interested in growth, learning, personal development, and psychology.

This week’s episode: The Power and Danger of a Seemingly Innocuous Commitment

This week we are continuing our new miniseries within “The Science of Success” called “Weapons of Influence”. This is the second episode in a six-part series based on the best selling book Influence by Robert Cialdini. If you loved the book, this will be a great refresher on the core concepts. And if you haven’t yet read it, some of this stuff is gonna blow your mind.

So what are the 6 weapons of influence?

  • Reciprocation
  • Consistency & Commitment
  • Social Proof
  • Liking
  • Authority
  • Scarcity

Each one of these weapons can be a powerful tool in your belt – and something to watch out for when others try to wield them against you. Alone, each of them can create crazy outcomes in our lives and in social situations, but together they can have huge impacts.

Today’s episode covers the second weapon of influence: Consistency & Commitment Bias. We’ll cover:
  • The powerful application of the “foot in the door” technique
  • Why hard won commitments are the most powerful
  • The dangers of seemingly innocuous commitments
  • How commitment builds its own internal justifications
  • How you can defend yourself against falling prey to commitment bias

For more episodes, check it out on iTunes: The Science of Success.

Also continue the conversation by following Matt on Twitter (@MattBodnar), visiting his websiteMattBodnar.com, or visiting ScienceOfSuccess.co.