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Contrast affects how we evaluate the difference between two things or events that follow each other. This principle was described by the American social psychologist Robert Cialdini, a specialist in the psychology of influence.
If we lift a tennis ball and then a cast-iron weight, the weight will seem heavier than if we lifted it first.
Another example of how the principle of contrast works. Dip your right hand in a bucket of hot water, your left hand in a bucket of cold water, and then both hands in water at room temperature. The right hand will perceive it as cool, and the left as hot, despite the fact that both hands are in the same water.
This principle is widely used by masters of sales. In a menswear store, a customer who manages to sell an expensive suit will be willing to spend more money on accessories than someone who only comes for accessories. The reason is that compared to the high price of a suit, the cost of a belt or cufflinks no longer seems so significant.
And although it is not always ethical to resort to the principle of contrast, there is no doubt about the effectiveness of its use.
When selling real estate, a smart realtor, before showing potential buyers a suitable house, takes them to see several wrecks and names an outrageous price. Seeing after that a solid housing, by contrast, they value it much higher than in the case when it is shown first.
Finally, the same principle is used during sales, when the old price is crossed out on the price tags and a new one is written. At the same time, the old price can be extremely overpriced, and the new one is only acceptable. However, when comparing prices, many buyers are buying a discounted item that they would likely find overpriced if it had the original figure on it.
How can you use the principle of contrast to your advantage?
A simple piece of advice can be summed up like this: “Ask for more, settle for less.” But this is only one of the conclusions that can be drawn from the discovery of Robert Cialdini. If you get creative, you can find many unexpected applications of this principle. The psychologist himself cites in his book a letter from a college student who masterfully used the principle of contrast to influence how her parents would evaluate her academic success. Here it is:
A letter from a student quoted by Cialdini in The Psychology of Influence
“Dear Mom and Dad!
Ever since I left for college, I’ve completely forgotten to write letters. I apologize for not writing earlier. Now I will brief you on my business, but before you continue reading, please sit down. Don’t read any further if you don’t sit down, okay?
Well, in general, now I’m fine. The fracture of the skull and the concussion I received when I jumped out of the dorm window – the fire broke out shortly after I arrived – are now almost gone. I was in the hospital for only two weeks and now I can see almost normally. True, once a day there are severe headaches. Fortunately, the fire in the hostel and my jump from the window was seen by an employee of a nearby gas station, it was he who called the firemen and the ambulance.
He visited me in the hospital, and since I had nowhere to live – after all, the hostel burned down – he was so kind that he offered to live in his apartment. In fact, this is a room in the basement, but quite cozy. He is a wonderful guy, we fell madly in love with each other and are planning to get married. Exactly when, we haven’t decided yet, but it will happen before my pregnancy becomes noticeable.
Yes, mom and dad, I’m pregnant. I know how much you want to become a grandparent, and I know that you will gladly accept my child and give him the same love, affection and care that you gave me as a child. Our wedding is being delayed because a friend of mine has some minor infection that prevents us from getting premarital blood tests, and I accidentally contracted that infection from him.
Now that I’ve briefed you on my business, I want to tell you that there was no dorm fire, I didn’t have any concussion or skull fracture, I wasn’t in the hospital, I’m not pregnant, I’m not engaged, I’m not infected and I don’t have any boyfriend. It’s just that I got a C in American History and a D in Chemistry, and I want you to get these marks right.
Your loving daughter Sharon.”
There is no doubt that her parents breathed a sigh of relief instead of scolding her for her poor performance. And although the question of how ethical it is in each particular case to resort to the “principle of contrast”, there is no doubt about the effectiveness of its use.
The book Psychology of Influence by Robert Cialdini was republished in 2015, in this version each chapter is accompanied by a first-person story: people describe the funny or dramatic situations they experienced, in which the patterns discovered by the sociologist were clearly manifested.