Name: The counterintuitive way to be more persuasive
Uploaded: 2021-01-05T21:03:58Z
Duration: 10 min 40 s
Description: What's the best way to make a good point? Organizational psychologist Niro Sivanathan offers a fascinating lesson on the "dilution effect," a cognitive quirk that weakens our strongest cases -- and reveals why brevity is the true soul of persuasion.

What's the best way to make a good point? Organizational psychologist Niro Sivanathan offers a fascinating lesson on the "dilution effect," a cognitive quirk that weakens our strongest cases -- and reveals why brevity is the true soul of persuasion.

The counterintuitive way to be more persuasive

Adding weaker points to a strong case actually lowers its persuasive power, a mental bias called the dilution effect. In one study, people valued a perfect 24-piece dinnerware set at 390 pounds, but when more pieces were added—many of them broken—the value dropped to just 192 pounds. This cognitive quirk affects everything from judging products to assessing people and even risk evaluation in pharmaceutical ads. Focusing on the strongest evidence, not the sheer volume of arguments, leads to greater influence.