Watch
Liking 0:49
A 49-second explainer of Liking, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Liking demo
What this video covers
Liking is the simplest of Cialdini's principles: we say yes more readily to people and brands we like. Similarity, genuine compliments, cooperation toward a shared goal, familiarity and warmth all raise liking - and liking, in turn, lowers resistance to a request. We agree with those we feel good about.
The plain request was easy to brush past; the warm one - a real person, something in common, a sincere word - made you a touch more willing before you'd even weighed it. That softening is liking at work. The lesson isn't to perform friendliness; it's that being authentically likeable is itself persuasive.