You Have More Influence Than You Think by Vanessa Bohns

Bohns' research shows that the dynamics of requests and rejections aren't quite what we expect. For instance, in the library book study, participants thought 28% of people would agree to it, when 64% - over half - said yes. Bohns says participants consistently expect rejection, but strangers still agree to help. In her studies, she has participants ask strangers to do favors - sometimes quite odd ones, like counting beans or vandalizing library books. Bohns' research shows us that people tend to be more agreeable than we think, and that while asking for things might be hard, so is saying 'no.' Instead, she's curious about the influence we already have - and how we can use that influence more responsibly. But Vanessa Bohns, author of You Have More Influence Than You Think, isn't interested in how to acquire more power. Read more about Vanessa Bohns Ph.D.There are countless books on how to become powerful and influence others. She is an associate editor at the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, was previously editor of the social influence section of Social and Personality Psychology Compass, and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Social Cognition. Her popular press and business writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. Her research has been published in top academic journals in psychology ( Psychological Science, Current Directions in Psychological Science), social psychology ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology), management ( Organization Science, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes), and law ( Yale Law Journal) and has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and NPR. Some of her additional research interests include prosocial behavior, perspective-taking, and self-conscious emotions. In particular, she examines the extent to which people recognize the influence they have over others in various interpersonal interactions, including when asking for help, suggesting that someone engage in unethical behavior, and making romantic advances. Her research focuses broadly on social influence and the psychology of compliance and consent. She is the author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think (2021, Norton). Prior to joining Cornell, she taught at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo in Canada.

in Social Psychology from Columbia University and her AB in Psychology from Brown University.

You Have More Influence Than You Think by Vanessa Bohns