Influence
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Life value 5/5
Entertainment value 4/5
Influence is a great distillation of the science of persuasion and teaches you both what to look for or use as a marketer or salesperson and how to better avoid the pitfalls of savvy marketers. Cialdini simplifies the science behind the psychology and is a great writer and storyteller.
The book is broken down into the main categories that influential psychology falls under and gives plenty of great research and real-world examples to solidify each point.
If you need help avoiding influence in your own decisions or you are looking to attain more success in selling something, (whether you believe in it or not), this book will be highly valuable to you if you have never taken a social psychology class before and come across many of these concepts.
This book covers all the biggies including:
The contrast principle
Reciprocation
Social proof
Commitment and consistency
Authority
Liking
Scarcity
One of the best parts about the book is the author's relentless curiosity about persuasion and his down to earth approach as he includes many examples of how he himself is not foolproof to persuasion but becomes even more curious when he gets caught in a trap and why it happened.