Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

172 Social Proof

When people don’t know how to act, think, or feel, they tend to copy others.

People are persuaded more by the actions of others than by anything else. When people are uncertain about what to do, they look to others for cues, or social proof, of what to do. For example, many sitcoms use laugh tracks to influence audience reaction, despite the objections of artists, directors, writers, and many viewers. Why do they do it? Social proof works: Laugh tracks make people laugh more. Two conditions maximize the influence of social proof: uncertainty and similarity.1

When people are uncertain about how to act, think, or feel, they tend to copy others. In general, when a lot of people are doing a thing, it is likely a safe and good thing. ...