Peer Pressure

### Cold Open

It's all around you everyday. An invisible force you're probably not even aware of. It affects what you do, how you think and who you are. It's called social conformity, or peer pressure, and while it might not sound like a good thing, it's actually not so bad. The truth is your brain craves synchronicity and takes comfort in the ease and efficiency of just going with the flow, and whether it's simply knowing what to wear in the morning, supporting your team at the big game, or even marching off to war, we're all programmed to be part of the group, and that's because your brain knows that there's power in numbers.

### Questions

Just how far will your brain go to be a part of the team?

But could the Halo effect really trick your brain into trusting someone that merely looks like a leader?

But what if the crowd were invisible?

## Games

### Game #1: Beep

Unsuspecting visitors come to an eye clinic for a free eye exam. What they don't know is that there's a bigger purpose to their wait. Will a beep lead the unsuspecting visitors to play along and conform, or be the odd one out?

Result: Beep means stand up. If everyone else is doing it, you're more likely to do it too. Even when there's nobody watching her. She was even able to teach others how to do it as well. Even if they initially reject the beep, the conformity of the crowd keeps them from ignoring the rule.

Why: Because even from a very young age, our brains rewards us for conforming to the group. Despite conformity being able to help us socialize more and enter the "in" crowd, it can cause to build bad habits or repeat past wrongs.

### Game #2: Mailbox Halo

Two men stand next to a mailbox. Which makes more money? They're both 25 years old and have a college degree. Paul or Max?

Result: You probably chose Paul because he looks taller and more ready then Max. But Max does make more money.

So: The so-called "Halo" effect happens when you have a cognitive bias that tells you who you think you'd trust as a leader.

### Game #3: Gibberish

Jason Silva gives a speech about technology, but it turns into something more.

Result: Even though the speech was gibberish, they still gave a standing ovation.

Why: There were two people in the audience who were told to speak up, and thus the other people stood up as well. The peer pressure led them to give him a standing ovation despite the nonsense. It only takes a few leaders to get the group to follow. Well, most anyway.

### Game #4: Brain Games Superstore(A or B)

You make three purchasing decisions.

Result: You buy the most popular or most "out-there" option. Which was B.

Why: For the first two options, the cleaner and toothpaste, the decisions were easy since you could follow the group consesus. But for the laptop, since it's more valuable, most advertisers target anti-conformity and get you to pick something that stands out.

### Game #5: It's A!

Volunteers pick which line is most likely to match the first.

### Brain Booster:

How much of your body's total energy does your brain consume?

* A: 20%
* B: 10%
* C: 3%
* Correct Answer: A

Result: The pull of the crowd led to some volunteers switching to A, when they thought it was C. The first nine volunteers were working for Brain Games and instructed to pick the same wrong answer.

Why: There are major evolutionary advantages to staying with the herd, like survival.

### Game #6: But I Love That Place!

Whose advice will you follow for pizza? You can go with your best friend, the place which has worse reviews online, or with the popular place who strangers seem to love.

Result: You most likely choose Gino's pizza since the herd like it more.

Why: Social Influence Bias drives your buying decisions with the anonymous herd, if it's got good ratings behind it.