The 6 crazy human biases that impact human behaviour.
When you know these biases you can be a more effective human and marketer.
People appear to do some seemingly irrational things.
But imagine if you could understand why; why the people in your life, and your business, do what they do.
The truth is, much of our behaviour is influenced by our human nature. And central to our nature is our six emotional biases.
These biases influence how we see and interact with the world. When you understand biases (as outlined in the incredible book The Laws of Human Nature), you can become a better communicator, marketer and work on becoming a better human yourself.
So here they are, the six human biases. 👇
CONFIRMATION BIAS
I look at the evidence and arrive at my decisions through a rational process.
When we make a decision, we believe we arrived at it rationally. To confirm our beliefs we go out in search of very selective evidence. We'll ask the opinion of people who hold similar beliefs to ours and avoid those who don't. We'll jump on the internet to find "research" that proves our point, digging deep till we find it and conveniently skimming past anything that contradicts us. And whether we like to admit it or not, we a feel deeper connection and trust with the people and brands the confirm our belief,
If you want to stop being driven by your own blinding confirmation biases (cause babe, you have them), actively look for evidence and people that disagree with you and challenge your decisions.
When marketing, take the time to understand your customer's positive beliefs and, where it's authentic and healthy, support their existing beliefs. This can be an effective way to build a connection and establish trust.
APPEARANCE BIAS
I understand the people I deal with; I see them just as they are.
We see people not as they are; but as they appear to be. And these appearances are usually misleading. Since infancy, humans have been trained to present an appropriate front in social situations, so they are seen positively. While we like to think what we see is what we get, that's rarely the case. We can also be influenced by the halo effect, where we let certain negative or positive traits influence the way we see people. We tend to trust good-looking people more. We think successful people are more conscientious and deserving, and we'll make assumptions about a person based on the clothes they wear.
Your goal is to proactively pull yourself up and stop yourself from drawing conclusions based on appearances. Push yourself to go beyond skin deep.
As a marketer, it's important to understand that appearances matter. Your customers will form opinions based on the way you present your business and brand. So you need to show up in the right way.
GROUP BIAS
My ideas are my own. I do not listen to the group. I am not a conformist.
We are social creatures by nature. The feeling of isolation, of being rejected from the herd, is terrifying to us. We feel enormous relief when we find others who think the same we do. We will always choose the restaurant filled with people over one that is empty. We trust the recommendation of friends more than advertising. The truth is, we're inherently built to be part of a group, but we're generally unaware of this pull. So we imagine we come to ideas and beliefs on our own. When that's not often the case.
So it's important to understand that you, too, are driven to seek the approval and acceptance of the groups that are important to you. And like it or not, others influence your decisions and opinions.
As a marketer, know that your customers are looking for social proof, and it's your job to do what you can to get positive social proof for them. This includes reviews, word-of-mouth, influencers, key media, and referrals. Each of these are powerful marketing initiatives that work with your customer's innate group bias.
CONVICTION BIAS
I believe in this idea so strongly. It must be true.
When we hold an idea that is pleasing to us but deep down we're not sure it's true, we'll go the extra mile to defend it, We'll fight for our idea with great conviction and contradict anyone who challenges. How can our idea not be true if we can defend it with gusto, energy and passion? At least that's what we tell ourselves. So we'll fight for our idea to the end, even if we doubt its truth.
Your job is to watch out for people using their conviction biases to influence you. Just because they're speaking with passion doesn't mean their idea is right. Train yourself to see through this behaviour.
Awareness of conviction bias can also help you better serve your customers. Sometimes those who project the strongest conviction are the ones who need your help and support the most.
BLAME BIAS
I learn from my experience and mistakes.
Mistakes and failures elicit the need to explain. We say we want to learn the lesson and not repeat the experience. But in truth, we don't like to look too closely at what we did. Our natural response is to blame others, circumstances, or a momentary lapse of judgement because it's often too painful to look at our mistakes.
You have to make the hard choice to stop going through the motions, stop pretending to reflect on what you did and actually do the work. Otherwise, you'll repeat the same mistake again and again,
This doesn't just apply to our personal lives. It applies to our business and marketing efforts as well. It's tempting to blame a failed campaign, a bad sales period or lost customers on external factors such as the market conditions, competitors or even your team. But the only way to achieve transformation growth in your business is to take responsibility for it. Actively look for ways to improve the way you market, analyse past campaigns and actively look for the small opportunities to do better.
SUPERIORITY BIAS
I'm different. I'm more rational than others, more ethical as well.
While we won't say this out loud because it sounds arrogant, in the back of our minds, we believe we're different. Like an optical illusion - we struggle to see our faults and irrationalities but easily see them in others. On the ethical front, few of us will admit we've resorted to some form of deception or manipulation in our work and relationships to get what we want. We're not as ethical as we like to think we are.
If you want to be genuinely different, know rational and ethical can only be achieved through awareness and effort. Unfortunately, they don't come naturally to us because we're built for survival and self-preservation first. The good news is they can come through a maturation process and conscious behaviour.
As a marketer, it's important you understand and respect that your customer thinks they're different. Honour this belief and do what you can to help them embody the best of themselves
If you loved this insight and want to learn more about human nature, you have to check our Robert Greene's book. It's a game-changer.
x Lee
