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Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work Hardcover – Illustrated, January 28, 2020
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From New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, bold new ideas for creating environments that promise a brighter future
Psychologists have long understood that social environments profoundly shape our behavior, sometimes for the better, often for the worse. But social influence is a two-way street―our environments are themselves products of our behavior. Under the Influence explains how to unlock the latent power of social context. It reveals how our environments encourage smoking, bullying, tax cheating, sexual predation, problem drinking, and wasteful energy use. We are building bigger houses, driving heavier cars, and engaging in a host of other activities that threaten the planet―mainly because that's what friends and neighbors do.
In the wake of the hottest years on record, only robust measures to curb greenhouse gases promise relief from more frequent and intense storms, droughts, flooding, wildfires, and famines. Robert Frank describes how the strongest predictor of our willingness to support climate-friendly policies, install solar panels, or buy an electric car is the number of people we know who have already done so. In the face of stakes that could not be higher, the book explains how we could redirect trillions of dollars annually in support of carbon-free energy sources, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone.
Most of us would agree that we need to take responsibility for our own choices, but with more supportive social environments, each of us is more likely to make choices that benefit everyone. Under the Influence shows how.
- Print length312 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPrinceton University Press
- Publication dateJanuary 28, 2020
- Dimensions6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-100691193088
- ISBN-13978-0691193083
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Frank's points . . . raise some big questions. Which reminds us that economics cannot be a merely technocratic discipline."---Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling
"This broadly themed book addresses the complexities of our social environments ― for example, how group behavior gives rise to bullying ― but a lot of what it discusses applies to worldwide environmental issues, too. The result is a combination of psychology and economics that illustrates how the human ‘herd instinct’ can be put to good use to solve the climate crisis and other problems."---John R. Platt, The Revelator
"An invaluable new book. . . . If policy-makers have any sense, this book will be as important a manual in the 2020s as Nudge was in the 2010s."---Felix Martin, New Statesman
"This erudite, provocative book is apt for reading now."---Julia Hobsbawm, Evening Standard
"Extraordinarily timely: It’s an effort to show that the economics of social contagion could reshape the world, solving our hardest problems ― from climate change to income inequality ― and offering new ways to think about the power we have as individuals. Absent the pandemic, its argument might’ve seemed abstract, optimistic. But now we’ve seen it happen. We are watching a version of Frank’s thesis play out right now, in real time. In the wake of coronavirus, social pressure has driven perhaps the single fastest behavioral transformation in human history. It is the example and pressure we face from each other that has made social distancing so effective, so fast. And if social pressure can do that ― what else can it do?"---Ezra Klein, Vox
"Throughout his career, in influential books . . . Frank has examined the importance of status-seeking and social interactions in society and the economy. Continuing with that theme, Under the Influence argues that social context shapes choices far more than many people realize. . . . As usual, Frank’s book is full of information and insights that will interest even those who do not agree with his policy agenda."---R. M. Whaples, Choice
Review
"An important and thought-provoking examination of how key individual choices are shaped by social context and fashion―and a clarion call for policies that better respond to that insight."―Bina Venkataraman, author of The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age
"Under the Influence describes a neglected goal for social policy: to gently foster the wisdom needed, individually and collectively, to achieve the Good Life. Frank's own wisdom is on view in every paragraph of this book, with its brilliant perspective on―and solution to―the problems of our times."―George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics
"Call this book 'the mother of all cognitive illusions' meets 'the mother of all suicidal delusions.' Interested? You should be if you are really worried about how the cost of the Green New Deal is going to be met―logically, rationally, equitably, and soon. Robert Frank is not kidding when he asserts that even a middle schooler would understand his explanations of the public-policy stupidity that results when what he calls behavioral contagion trumps right actions."―Anthony Ingraffea, Cornell University
"Economists are learning that human behavior is more than just a series of cost/benefit calculations. Robert Frank has been at the forefront of bringing biology and psychology into the equation, including our sensitivity to how those around us think and act. The human 'herd instinct' has consequences ranging from how we regulate tobacco to how we can avert a climate catastrophe."―Frans de Waal, author of Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves
"Smart, delightful, and provocative, Under the Influence is designed to rock your boat―and maybe even sink it. Not to be missed!"―Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University
"Under the Influence is a brilliant, necessary corrective to the narrow and often debilitating conventional wisdom of economics applied to the biggest crises of our time. Behavioral contagions have paralyzed us for decades, but they are not just negative forces, undermining our best interests. They can also empower us, even against what seem insurmountable challenges. Robert Frank shouldn't just change the way we think about those challenges, but how we respond to them, too."―David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Princeton University Press; Illustrated edition (January 28, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 312 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0691193088
- ISBN-13 : 978-0691193083
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,920,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,201 in Medical Social Psychology & Interactions
- #4,403 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions
- #12,374 in Public Affairs & Policy Politics Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Robert H. Frank received his M.A. in statistics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1971, and his Ph.D. in economics in 1972, also from U.C. Berkeley. He is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Economics at Cornell University, where he has taught since 1972 and where he currently holds a joint appointment in the department of economics and the Johnson Graduate School of Management. He has published on a variety of subjects, including price and wage discrimination, public utility pricing, the measurement of unemployment spell lengths, and the distributional consequences of direct foreign investment. For the past several years, his research has focused on rivalry and cooperation in economic and social behaviour.
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2020Frank demonstrates the effect, both positive and negative, that the change in just one person. Can have on their social group. One member of a social group makes it more likely that an additional member will take up smoking. One house in a neighborhood getting solar panels makes it that much more likely that another house will as well. There are problems in the world that will take large scale social change, but it is important to be aware of the degree to which convincing just one person to alter their behavior can create measurable ripple effects that generate progress towards that large scale change beyond that one person.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2020As always Prof. Frank delivers a clear and succinct analysis of the problem and thoughtfully lays out a path to resolution.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2020I am an aircraft mechanic by trade and an amateur polymath as a passion. This book is a must read for us proud members of the Hoi polloi ,and will help get people into their right frame of mind and start fixing the worlds problems. Thanks to the author for making complicated accessible. Bravo sir. Pay attention to the principles herein.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2020A lucid, engaging, easy-to-read overview of how "behavioral contagion" influences behaviors ranging from smoking to carbon emissions . . . and how tax reforms could induce a healthier, happier, and more climate-friendly future . . . and without overall tax increases or rigid regulations that curtail personal liberty. How I wish every member of Congress, if not every voter, could read Under the Influence
- Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020I love most books, across the range of human interests. You'll see most of my reviews are quite positive. This is a rare exception. Frank's book fails to convince - thank goodness. It is deeply flawed in multiple respects. First, it is antithetical to liberty and enlightenment principles and promotes control of individuals by the government as preferable to education and ethical personal behavior. It is poorly reasoned, imprecise in its arguments, and lazy writing. Chapter 1 is sufficient to demonstrate the author's main ideas and faults. Chapter 2 is nothing more than Frank standing on the shoulders of giants and staring at their feet - a potpourri of faddish optical illusions and allusions.
I regret buying this book. If I could get my money back I would. I hate to think a penny of it went into the pocket of such a dangerous, illiberal, charlatan.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2021Bought this book for my own reading, read it then let my dad read it while visiting, and let's just say, he liked it so much he took it with him when he left!!!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2020Why do we behave the way we do? Is it primarily due to our individual values and personality, or do social circumstances better explain behavior? Robert Franks subscribes to the notion that people are psychologically disposed to imitate others. "It's the situation, not the person."
There has always been some overlap between economics and psychology, since economists predict human behavior. A behavioral economist, Robert Franks has argued for three decades that price is not the sole factor influencing economic decisions.
His thesis is that what others do around us influences what we do, and what we do influences others. It's social contagion. The influence of example can be for good or bad. Franks argues that public policy should shape peer pressure for good. That last part is the most controversial.
How powerful is behavioral comtagion?
When we see others yawn, we are more likely to yawn. We have free will, but we often imitate others, and we underestimate just how powerful the effect of social context is on us. "Our tendency to mimic one another lies almost entirely outside of conscious awareness."
Franks' favorite example of social contagionĺ is the onset of smoking. A big factor in whether young people smoke is how many of their friends smoke. As the percentage of friends who smoke rises, the likelihood of an individual teen smoking rises almost as much.
In other words, the harm smokers cause to others is not only secondhand smoke. It is also the peer pressure that increases the probability one or more of their peers will emulate them -- individuals who otherwise may never have smoked. The harm of being a smoker is much greater than the harm from secondhand smoke. In short, peer pressure can cause enormous harm.
Obesity is also more widespread due to behavioral contagion. Ditto for drinking.
Among many behaviors shown to be shaped by the social environment are speeding, tatoos, body piercings, theft, assault, selling or buying stocks, buying SUVs, installing solar-powered panels, etc.
Our values are also influenced by peer pressure. A recent example is the rapid shift in public opinion on same-sex marriage. Large majorities of Americans opposed marriage equality as late as 2008 when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still opposed it. By 2018, a large majority favored it. Other examples of rapid shifts in opinion are reflected by the Me-Too movement, cannabis legalization, and Black Lives Matter.
Military spending is a clear example of behavior influenced by what rivals do. When countries agree to limit arms races, then more resources are available for health care, education and infrastructure, instead of an endless arms race.
"Exactly analogous forces have created enormous waste in our private consumption patterns," asserts Franks.
People spend on certain visible goods to maintain or to improve status, wastefully bidding up prices for luxury goods in the process. Spending patterns distorted by status concerns are fueled by rising incomes and income inequality. A growing share of national income is spent on luxury consumption. Buying bigger houses, boats and vehicles increases greenhouse gas emissions. "Across-the-board increases in most forms of private consumption do little more than raise the bar that defines what people consider adequate." People bid up the prices for, say, homes in excellent school districts. Meanwhile, less of national income is being spent on infrastructure.
Franks argues that public policy has a role to discourage harmful choices. Taxes are an efficient way to discourage them, and are less intrusive than mandates or prohibtion. One example is high taxes on tobacco.
Most taxes are imposed on beneficial activities such as on earning, saving, investing and creating jobs. It would be preferable to "raise as much tax revenue as possible from levies on activities that cause undue harm to others."
With pollution, for instance, a tax on noxious emisions beyond a tolerable level is based upon the amount of such emisions. This encourages businesses to reduce emissions to reduce their taxes.
Another proven method is tradable permits to release an effluent. During the 1990s, acid rain was greatly reduced after a market was created for tradable permits for sulfur dioxide. A Harvard panel in 2011 concluded that this market is "widely regarded as a landmark step in the worldwide history of environmental regulation." This demonstrates that broad-based cap-and-trade systems can work well.
A carbon dioxide tax "must be a central pillar of any serious effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions," writes Franks. "By making the discharge of carbon dioxide more expensive, it would provide a strong incentive for producers and consumers to emit less of it."
There would also be a strong social feedback effects: more people will adopt ways of reducing Co2 as they see more of their neighbors doing so. As fewer people buy SUVs to reduce emissions, then even fewer would buy SUVs due to social contagion.
A.carbon tax is more palatable via revenue rebates to every family in equal amounts, thus benefiting people of modest means who use less than average amounts of fossil fuel.
A carbon tax can't be adopted, however, unless the wealthy are convinced that "higher top tax rates wouldn’t alter their relative bidding power," and that "no real sacrifices would be necessary."
Another way to discourage rising luxury consumption is to replace the income tax with a progressive consumption tax. The family’s total taxable consumption would be calculated as its income minus its savings, less a large standard deduction—say, $10,000 per person. Tax rates would start low and then rise with consumption. A tax on spending rather than on income removes the disincentive to save and earn caused by a high income tax. Less spending on luxuries would leave money available for investment that would no longer be taxed.
Franks makes a strong case that behavioral contagion exists, that it has huge economic and social costs, and that those costs can be mitigated by public policy, the most crucial of which is a carbon tax. It's a fascinating book well worth the read. ###
- Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021Written prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Frank champions the untimely term, "social contagion," in explaining not only the power society has to not just influence our behavior, but for us to influence society. He reframes and explains it as a tool of empowerment for us to make our world a better place. Whether it's smoking, drinking, spending, taxing, or polluting, Frank shares his always insightful perspective, a perspective he also brings to his must-follow twitter feed. If you value efficiency as a goal in your life, this is a great read. And as we start to emerge from the depths of this pandemic, may we use the power of social contagion to leave a better world for our children.