Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion looks from the outside like it is going to be for marketing professionals, and maybe it is used that way. However, the author focuses on how certain psychological principles work and how to avoid being manipulated by them when they are used by business people. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover how to avoid guilt trips from your relatives. Also, it was originally published in 1984, and while it does a good job of explaining everything and is undoubtedly useful, you'll hear phrases like "Red Chinese" and "Indians" to mean Native Americans. The tone is definitely more for the 1990s than the current dumpster fire that we live in.

I don't think that the dated feel makes the book useless or anything, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder which parts of it might not apply these days. I don't mean that we are immune to persuasion. I only mean that in 2025, people have a somewhat different relationship with authority. I remember in 2010 being told that it wasn't a big deal if the government was spying on you if you aren't doing anything wrong. In 2025, I think that fewer people believe that the government is good and kind and going to do what is in their best interest. I often found myself wondering what the author would say if the book had been updated more recently. Supposedly, it was revised in 2006, but it felt more 1984 than 2006 to me.

Before we go further, I should mention some content warnings. This book is not just about persuasion, but also mentions a lot of psychological experiments that were done to explain why people behave the way they do. Some of those experiments were awful. One horrific experiment had the participants giving what they thought were electric shocks to an actor who screamed in pain. The author describes what the actor would have experienced in extreme detail and then how upset the participants were at being told to continue giving the shocks, which they did. I found it very stressful to listen to. If you have a lot of empathy, be aware that this is in the book and when you get to the first mention of shocks, you might want to skip forward. You will still get the important information without the trauma of listening to the descriptions.

Can you get most of the content from the book by reading a list of the main points? No. These are concepts that the author teaches you and that you need to learn, not just see. Some of the concepts are counterintuitive. I found all the examples and references to studies really helpful, as it drove home what the author was talking about. Interestingly, I have listened to other books that referenced studies often, and they felt very much like the writer didn't actually know anything for themself and was just using the studies instead of their own content. I didn't have that feeling at all with this book. Much of it was his research or his experiences, and the part that was studies, the author explained the study so that you could see how it was related to what he was talking about. He was clearly a teacher.

Should you read this book? I definitely feel like I learned things and had questions answered about why things had happened at different points in history. I am more likely now to spot some kind of scam or scheme. As I was listening to the book, I thought of two people I know who I felt really needed to read the book. Honestly, though, who of us doesn't face attempts to convince us to buy, do, or believe something on an hourly basis? Being equipped to deal with marketing, spin, and propaganda makes us a lot less vulnerable in a world that is increasingly looking to take advantage of us. So, yeah, you should probably read it.