Expensive = Good

The more effort that goes into a commitment, the greater is its ability to influence the attitudes of the person who made it.

We are truest to our own commitments when we believe we have taken them on in the absence of strong external pressure.

Besides the times when social evidence is deliberately faked, there are times when the principle of social proof directs us the wrong way. An innocent mistake will create a snowball of social evidence that will push us toward an incorrect decision. An example of this is the phenomenon of pluralistic ignorance, in which all witnesses to an emergency see no reason for alarm. Another characteristic example is the collapse of a Singaporean bank, from which several years ago, for no rational reason, depositors began spontaneously withdrawing money. The unexpected collapse of the bank, known for its good reputation, remained a mystery until a survey of depositors was conducted. It turns out that on that day, due to a strike by bus drivers, a large crowd gathered at the bus stop in front of the bank building. Passing people took the crowd for a queue of depositors withdrawing money from a bankrupting bank, and also ran to withdraw their deposits. The queue grew longer and longer, and soon the bank had to be closed to avoid complete ruin (News, 1998).

Robert B. Cialdini, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”