Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior

Whether you’re a business person wanting to understand what drives customer’s purchasing decisions or a consumer looking to avoid falling into marketing traps, there is something in this book for you. The idea seems so simple–that other people affect our decisions–but as Berger illustrates, people don’t always see what can seem so obvious to an outsider. Berger shows how everyone feels a certain social influence in their purchasing decisions: buying to be like others, distinguish themselves from others, refusing to buy something in order to spite others, or some combination.

Sometimes I am disappointed when a book has insufficient or irrelevant examples to prove the premise. That didn’t happen with this book. It’s packed with multiple examples and case studies, all shared in an engaging conversational tone, to demonstrate every point made. I read this book aloud to my teen children and it sparked hours of lively discussions, as we all considered new ideas and/or were reminded of our own experiences with the subjects covered. I don’t often say this about nonfiction books, but it was a joy to read, and I recommend finding a friend to read it at the same time, because you’re going to want to talk about it.