Social norms are one of many agents of influence on human behavior. They are widely recognized as an instigator of behavior change, yet their influence often goes undetected. Research has consistently shown that communications highlighting the large number of people who engage in a behavior can effectively promote change. Yet even when there is clear evidence for normative social influence, individuals downplay the degree to which they were affected.
Building on prior research showing underdetection, this talk highlights three potential advantages of being a secret agent of influence. First, because they are largely underdetected, normative social influence is particularly useful at reaching people who are likely to be resistant to the target behavior. For example, individuals who are low in environmental concern, or politically conservative, are often a challenge for efforts to promote proenvironmental behavior. Yet they can be influenced through normative messages. Second, because normative influence is not typically seen as influential, once they cause change, individuals are likely to attribute the behavior to an intrinsic motivation, rather than extrinsic. For this reason, normative influence can produce lasting change. And finally, because normative social influence is underdetected, it is more likely to result in behavioral spillover, whereby engaging in one behavior increases the likelihood of a person engaging in a related behavior.
Taken together, normative social influence has been shown to be an effective tool for promoting green behavior. Yet it is widely underdetected, and individuals typically discount the degree to which they are influenced by the behavior of others. This underdetection makes it an effective tool for reaching individuals who are likely resistant to the target behavior. In addition, normative social influence is likely to exhibit lasting effects, and it is more likely to induce behavior spillover. Directions for future research, and implications for application are discussed