There’s a science behind how we think and what influences us. Or, who influences us.
It’s called Psychology.
Humans are social creatures. Whether we’re an extrovert and want to get in the middle of the group, or an introvert and prefer to observe, we seek interaction with others. Approval is a bonus.
The way we think is influenced by our parents first. Along the way to adulthood, we often look to others to either form an opinion or justify our decisions. It’s a concept that can be abbreviated, called by some psychologists as “social proof.”
Social proof, a term coined by Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence, demonstrates that when a person thinks they are similar to a group around them, they are likely to adopt the same behavior or opinion.
A simple example is in entertainment. Laugh tracks in television sitcoms are designed to enhance audience response. If others are laughing long and hard, the viewer perceives it to be just as funny, or more so than they might think individually. In theater, audience plants are used to initiate applause and ovations. Everyone else follows.
Effective advertising rides the coattails of “social proof”. The goal of advertising is to convince a target audience to change a behavior or take an action that benefits the advertiser. It’s very convincing to show a target audience a similar group of people that are benefiting from an activity or a product. If they are, you probably will too.
Positive reviews are another form of advertising and social proof. If hundreds of people love a business, chances are you will.
The downside of being influenced through social proof is that opinion and decisions may be grounded in few facts and a lack of information. The authority becomes the influential peers and not the individual.
The progression of social proof escalates to herd behavior, a term mostly reserved for animal behavior. It’s an absence of any critical thinking or observation by the individual. If a stampede of animals is running toward a cliff, they all run full speed off the edge.
Of course, human herd behavior is a factor in stock market bubbles, financial collapses, riots, religious cults, even schoolyard bullying. Many of us have been an unwitting participant in a negative situation, simply because “everybody else was doing it.”
How does psychology and social proof affect our diets?
Did you ever think, Milk Does a Body Good? Or, do you, Got Milk? One of the most famous advertising campaigns showcased many of your favorite celebrities sporting a milk mustache along with an amazing physique. Social proof. If you want that body and those looks, you should increase your milk consumption. If you weren’t already drinking glasses of milk, the advertisements hinted that it was time to start.
Except for an overwhelming fact. It’s been estimated that 65% of the world may be lactose intolerant. That means a majority of us have negative issues from consuming dairy products.
Did you ever wonder what to have for dinner? What was everyone else having for dinner? Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner. The ads touted its features, like high protein and iron. That is true. All mammalian muscle meat has high protein. Horse meat, for example, has the same protein content and is considered a red meat.* But, the scientific evidence for consuming red meat, especially processed red meat has been consistently negative. The World Health Organization has stated that consumption of processed meat is a Group 1 carcinogen to humans and red meat is “probably carcinogenic” to humans.**
With overwhelming evidence that whole food plant based diets are better for improving health, why aren’t more people on board? A 2018 Gallup poll showed that 5% of Americans say they are vegetarian and 3% identified as vegan.*** Industry and the confusion profiteers get in the way of the evidence. Research studies are funded by agenda-driven dollars. Publications and news media run popular headlines with partial information. They are most interested in getting people to click on headlines. Remember the “Butter is Back” headline onslaught of 2014? The articles praising butter were based on partial, misleading evidence. The study was complex, but the headlines were not. The aftermath and the pushback of scientists to the ‘Butter is Back’ claim were, of course, drowned out.
To evaluate claims and headlines (with any subject), requires an investment of time and intellectual honesty. There are few subjects more important than human nutrition. Food is what fuels us and can either harm or heal us. There are a few helpful tips when vetting the latest headline or article.
- Locate the source data or original study.
- Confirm the author or organization that conducted the research.
- Look for any biases, such as funding sources.
- Seek any opposing viewpoints and consider their qualifications.
- Check the legitimacy and methodology. This includes sample sizes and type of study.
- Use common sense. For example, if a study is examining a High Carb Low Fat diet versus another diet, what is the definition of “high carb”? Consider that all whole fruits and vegetables contain carbs as do extremely highly processed foods such as Oreo cookies, Twinkies, sodas, etc. Did the study address that?
- Check your confirmation bias. This is personal. If you are in the market for a certain make/model/color of a car, you will begin to see more of them because they are top of mind. If you love coffee, you may only look for studies that say coffee is good.
Even with those tips, it can still be challenging. Finding the source funding (and agenda) can be difficult to uncover, with associations and entities that mask original underwriters and donors. Another challenge is that study subjects that are not in a controlled setting may provide inaccurate data. And so on.
In fact, the US National Institute of Health published an article titled: Why Most Published Research Findings are False. So, best of luck to the common consumer!
What’s the solution to vetting studies and headlines?
Above all, be skeptical. If you see a headline like, “Butter is Back” or “Vegan Diets Cause Bone Fractures”, check several sources. If you follow scientists or organizations that work to dispel myths like Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, check in on their review of it.
The psychology of nutrition is complex.
Industry wants to override critical thinking by promoting headlines.
It’s all food for thought.
Ultimately, it’s your food and thoughts are critical for your health.
“Since 95 percent of the people are imitators and only 5 percent initiators, people are persuaded more by the actions of others than by any proof we can offer.”
― Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882581/
***https://news.gallup.com/poll/238328/snapshot-few-americans-vegetarian-vegan.aspx