Entries by Brian Ahearn, CMCT®

Confirmation Bias and the Sweater Vest

If you live in Columbus, Ohio then you know there was no bigger story than last week’s revelation that Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel admitted knowing about some rules infractions by his players nearly a year ago. If you don’t live in Columbus it’s still likely you’ve heard the story or read about it […]

Influencers from Around the World – The Happiness Hypothesis

This month’s Influencers from Around the World article is from Cathrine Moestue. I introduced you to Cathrine last month along with Anthony McLean as new members of my Influencers from Around the World group. I know you’ll enjoy Cathrine’s exploration of reciprocity, especially those of you who are fans of The Godfather. I encourage you […]

The Psychology of the Sale

I’m a big reader but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, as strange at this sounds, as a kid I hated reading and writing. I say it’s strange because now I write all the time and I read about a book a week. For me, part of a great weekend is spending time at […]

Influencers from Around the World – New Guest Bloggers

I’m very excited to introduce readers to a couple of new guest bloggers for the Influencers from Around the World series that’s featured on the first Monday of every month.Anthony McLean hails from “Down Under” and has the distinction of being Australia’s only Cialdini Method Certified Trainer (CMCT). His background is unique, having spent more […]

Compared to What?

I read an interesting book at the beginning of the year, the Armchair Economist by Steven E. Landsburg. I picked it up because I enjoyed another book he wrote, More Sex is Safer Sex. I have to admit, there is something to be said for a title grabbing your attention, especially when it has sex […]

Does Celebrity Advertising Really Work?

A few weeks ago a friend, Paul Hebert, tweeted me to get my opinion on what Robert Cialdini might say about an article from The Consumerist titled “Study: Putting Celebrities in TV Ads only Makes them Worse.” Some of the ads featuring celebrities that scored worst included: Tiger Woods “Did You Learn Anything” (Nike) Lance Armstrong’s “No Emoticons” […]

“I Know, I Know” – The Illusion of Knowledge

If you have a teenager, or have raised one, then no doubt you’re familiar with the phrase, “I know!” It seems like no matter what you say the response is almost always the same, “I know!” You might say, “Clean your room,” and it’s met with, “I know!” Or how about this, “You need to […]

Changes Coming to Influence PEOPLE

I decided to have an extra post this week to let you know about a few things to keep an eye out for on Influence PEOPLE this year. I hope you’ll find them interesting ways to continue learning about ethical influence. First is something that’s not entirely new but will be presented in a different […]

The Upside and Downside of Fixed-Action Patterns

I’ve been having a hard time with something lately — brushing my teeth. Some of you are thinking that’s gross but don’t worry, I brush several times a day and floss too. I guess my problem is really with the toothpaste container. Jane bought Colgate Total, fine toothpaste by the way, but it comes in […]