Who Are We Most Influenced By?
While we are influenced by those around us, social proof, also called social norms, is particularly powerful when we see the other people as similar to ourselves. In 1954, social psychologist Leon Festinger came up with social comparison theory, which states that we evaluate ourselves by comparing ourselves to people who have similar characteristics to our own.
We can’t help but to compare ourselves to others and be influenced by those comparisons. When I walk my dogs down my street and see my neighbors’ yards looking beautiful, I feel compelled to work on my own yard. On the other hand, when I’m out in California visiting my sister and I see her neighbors’ yards looking beautiful, I appreciate them but do not compare ...
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