Reciprocity: Take Something, Feel You Owe
At the supermarket, someone offers you a small bite of sausage to sample, and after tasting it you often feel a little awkward—so you grab a pack. Behind this is the principle of reciprocity: once someone gives us a benefit first, we feel a psychological pressure to "return the favor."
Free trials, a small gift upfront, doing you a little favor first—these all use reciprocity: give a little first to make it harder for you to refuse the next request.
Commitment and Consistency: Say Yes to a Small Thing, Then It's Hard to Refuse a Big One
The principle of commitment and consistency says: once a person makes a commitment, they tend to keep their later behavior consistent with it—otherwise it feels uncomfortable.
A common sales tactic is "small first, big later": first get you to agree to a tiny, easy-to-accept request (like "just leave your phone number"); once you've agreed, when they make a bigger request, you're more likely to keep going just to appear consistent.
Authority: The One in the White Coat Is Trusted More
The same piece of health advice tends to be more convincing coming from someone in a white coat with a stethoscope than from a random passerby. This is the principle of authority: we're more inclined to follow people who appear to have professional standing or status.
The "signals" of authority are sometimes just outward dress or a title, which doesn't actually mean the person is reliable. When ads feature "experts" or a "doctor figure" as endorsers, they're borrowing a sense of authority to boost persuasiveness.
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"Once someone gives us a benefit first, we feel pressure to return the favor"—which principle does this describe?
答案：The principle of reciprocity
"Give a benefit first, making people want to repay" is exactly the principle of reciprocity. Authority relies on status, commitment and consistency on being consistent, and conformity on following the majority—none of those is what's described here.
"Once a person agrees to something, they tend to keep their later behavior consistent with it"—this is called the "principle of commitment and ____." Fill in the blank.
答案：consistency
The full name is the "principle of commitment and consistency," whose core is that people want their words and actions to stay consistent.
After the supermarket offers you a free sample, you feel awkward leaving empty-handed and buy a pack. Which principle does this mainly use?
答案：The principle of reciprocity
The merchant "gave first" with the small benefit of a sample, and you buy under the pressure of "wanting to repay"—that's reciprocity.
A salesperson first asks you to "just leave your phone number," and once you agree, step by step pushes an expensive package. What's mainly being used?
答案：Commitment and consistency (getting you to agree to a small thing first)
Getting you to agree to a small request first, then using the psychology of "staying consistent" to push you toward a bigger one, is the classic tactic of commitment and consistency.
True or false: a person wearing a white coat and calling themselves a doctor to recommend a product definitely proves they really are an expert in that area.
答案：False
A white coat is just an "outward signal" of authority that can be borrowed or even faked; it can't prove the person actually has the relevant professional qualifications.
True or false: when you realize you're "only going along because you agreed earlier and feel awkward backing out," it's okay to reconsider and change your mind.
答案：True
Forcing yourself to agree just to appear consistent isn't wise; once you realize this, changing your mind is completely reasonable—which is exactly the point of spotting the commitment-and-consistency tactic.