Changing Minds

When it comes to influencing people to pick up a habit or start a new behaviour, it helps to consider how they think about existing habits. The best framework for exploring this is Sherif’s Social Judgment Theory.

An important component of this model is the Latitudes of Acceptance; a theory of how people respond to information that either confirms or denies long-held beliefs.

Social scientists have known for decades that we are more influenced by messages that confirm or are closer to pre-established beliefs than those that are not. And that messages which go against said beliefs can actually end up reinforcing them due to the backfire effect.

Although experts have not yet come to a consensus on the most effective way to break habits, using ‘latitudes of acceptance’ might get people to come around to a different point of view. This involves finding out what beliefs they may be holding onto and playing within them while making a point to the contrary.

Taking a contrary position does not mean damaging their ego by trying to prove them wrong, but acknowledging the positives of their own beliefs while highlighting the positives of the flip-side.  

Both sides of the story can be presented this way, with no apparent bias or ‘black of white’ thinking. Effective debate does not spur from presenting extreme hypotheticals, no matter how likely they may be.

The strength of a person’s latitudes of acceptance also depends not only on the belief held, but how central it is to their life, which has a direct effect on their ego involvement.

Obviously, core ideas are unlikely to be successfully challenged, as they are perceived to make up a large part of a person’s identity. Challenging these sorts of beliefs can damage a person’s ego, which is likely to be interpreted as an attack against their character.

This is why, with any sort of communications strategy, breaking habits and changing minds involves playing within the parameters of existing behaviours, and offering an alternative that does not dismiss or shame a person for their actions.

Instead of saying: “this sucks, don’t do it, do this instead”, say “I can see why you do this, it benefits you in these ways, but this other option would benefit you more.”

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