We are trained to look for social acceptance and follow conformity. Our everyday actions are determined by our need to be socially accepted. Right or wrong doesn’t matter. Where should we throw the trash, how should I drive in the rains, how to board an airplane, eating popcorns during cinema- many such things are determined not by our independent preference, but by our need to conform.

1. By Dinesh Singh

3. “Where all think alike, no
one thinks very much”
~ Walter Lippman, an American writer
and political commentator

4. We always look for Social
Acceptance and Conformity
…..

5. Robert B. Cialdini writes about his
experiments with canned laughter during
comedy shows in television.
People call it stupid, obvious, phony etc.
Still, why canned laughter is so popular
with experienced and shrewd television
executives?

6. What is the reason of using canned
laughter during comedy shows?
 Our tendency to assume that our actions
are correct if others are doing it.
 Our need for a social proof and
acceptance

7. 
Where should we throw the trash?
How to board an airplane?
Force your child to be an engineer
It’s all around us

8. 
 It is an influencing tool
 It creates biases, which are important to
resolve.
 Lastly, don’t choose conformity as an easy
route for yourself.

9. 
Why so many products build credibility by
using statements such as “world’s largest”,
“fastest growing”?
You don’t need to know about the product
features if you are convinced that many
others are using it.
It is an influencing tool

10. 
 Next time, when you aren’t able to reach
a decision in a stakeholder meeting, think
about possible biases among
stakeholders.
It creates biases, which are
important to resolve.

11. 
 It’s easy to blend in than stand-out,
but is it right?
Lastly, don’t choose conformity as
an easy route for yourself.

12. “Since 95% of people are imitators and only
5% initiators, people are persuaded more by
the action of others than by any proof we
can offer”.
Sales and motivation consultant
Cavett Robert advised sales
trainees:

13. 
It may not be such a bad idea to unlearn or
uneducated yourself from time to time to free
yourself a bit from such biases!
Take Away

14. 
Take 10 mins to think about it. You will be
able to spot many instances where social
conformity is in play. I would love to hear
your examples.
How about you?

15. 
About the author
Dinesh Singh was a strategy consultant with
McKinsey & Co. where he worked with Fortune
500 companies.
He is a graduate from IIT Kanpur and MBA from
Cornell University.
Dinesh’s areas of interest are product positioning,
go-to-market, consumer segmentation, and
microeconomics.