The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say "Yes" in 8 Minutes or Less!, Second Edition

Chapter 14. The Power of Thinking without Thinking

Imagine if you will, the true force of influence. . . .

There are two different bottles of wine in front of you. A glass is poured from each bottle. Which will taste best?

I bet you're thinking that you won't know until after you taste them. You would be wrong.

The fact is that, on average, the wine will taste good or bad based upon your perception of the label on the wine.

Now stop. That is pretty profound. The label, the words, and the appearance of the label determine how much you will like the wine.

And it doesn't just happen with wine. It happens with everything.

Power of Thinking without Thinking

I'll show you some cool research later in this section about how all of this thinking without thinking works, but last week, research was reported that children report that all food that comes from McDonald's or in McDonald's, tastes better than those exact same foods served up at home. That includes carrots and asparagus!

And this effect isn't just limited to wine drinkers and kids. It's broad spectrum, and even affects smart people like you and me!

Did you know that, in blind taste tests, when Coca Cola is pitted against Pepsi Cola, that Pepsi is chosen as the better tasting brand about 60 percent of the time?

Here's what's more interesting: When the labels are visible, Coca Cola consistently is selected as the tastier choice! That's how powerful brand is.

What's the lesson? The lesson is what can you do to make yourself Coca Cola, McDonald's, ...