Robert Beno Cialdini (born April 27, 1945) is an American psychologist and author. He is the
Regents' Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some c ...
of Psychology and Marketing at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
and was a
visiting professor of marketing, business and psychology at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
.
Education
Cialdini received his
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree from the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...
in June 1967. He then went on to
Graduate studies
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...
in
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...
at the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...
and earned his
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in June 1970 and received
postgraduate
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...
training in social psychology at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. He has held
visiting scholar
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...
appointments at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
, the Annenberg School of Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. Currently, Cialdini is Regents'
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
...
of
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and
Marketing
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
.
Work
Cialdini wrote the 1984 book on
persuasion
Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviours.
Persuasion is studied in many disciplines. Rhetoric studies modes of persuasi ...
and
marketing
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
, ''Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion''. It was based on three "undercover" years applying for and training at used car dealerships, fund-raising organizations, and
telemarketing
Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products, subscriptions or services, either over the phone or throu ...
firms to observe real-life situations of persuasion. He found that influence is based on six key principles: reciprocity, commitment and consistency,
social proof
Social proof (or informational social influence) is a psychological and social phenomenon wherein people copy the actions of others in choosing how to behave in a given situation. The term was coined by Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book '' Influe ...
, authority, liking, scarcity. In 2016 he proposed a seventh principle. He called it the unity principle. The more we identify ourselves with others, the more we are influenced by these others.
The book has sold over five million copies and has been translated into 41 languages. It has been listed on the
''New York Times'' Best Seller list and ''
Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fate
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'' lists it in their "75 Smartest Business Books". It is mentioned in ''50 Psychology Classics''.
One of Cialdini's other books, ''Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive'', was a
''New York Times'' Bestseller; and another of his books, ''The Small BIG: Small changes that spark a big influence'', was a ''
Times'' Book of the year. In 2016, Cialdini published ''Pre-suasion'', which became a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller.
The Robert B. Cialdini prize from the
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. So ...
is named after him in honor of psychological research that demonstrates societal relevance using field methods. He was elected a member of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
in April 2019.
Projects
Cialdini was hired alongside many other behavioral scientists for the
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012. He also advised in the early stages of the
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016.
Selected publications
* ''Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion'' (William Morrow e Company, 1984),
** New and Expanded edition (Harper Business, 2021),
* ''Influence: Science and Practice ''(Allyn & Bacon, 2000), ''
** 4th edition (Allyn and Bacon, 2001),
** 5th edition (Allyn and Bacon, 2008),
* ''Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive'' with Noah J. Goldstein and Steve J. Martin (Simon and Schuster, 2008), .
* ''The Small BIG: Small changes that spark a big influence'' with Steve J. Martin and Noah J. Goldstein (Grand Central Publishing, 2014),
* ''Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade'' (Simon & Schuster, 2016),
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cialdini, Robert
1945 births
Living people
American people of Italian descent
Arizona State University faculty
American social psychologists
Persuasion theorists
Marketing theorists
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers