Made to Stick: Post #6--Emotional

Emotional: Many would contend that ultimately all decisions have emotions at their basis. The car you drive, the house you live in, even the clothes you wear have some foundation in emotions you feel. Conjuring up the right emotion to get someone to do something is thus critical. The authors talk about how hard it is to get a teenager to stop smoking, unless you can get them to resent Big Tobacco. The authors also discovered research that people will give money to individuals, not concepts—not exactly groundbreaking but fascinating in their explanation. The message is simple—make people “feel” a heartfelt emotion if you want them to do something. Mother Teresa said it (and the authors quote her) ‘If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” Thus, appealing to people’s emotions and their identities works.