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Influence

Robert B. Cialdini (1984)

88%
of reader questions named this book
1.71
average position when named
7/8
questions it appeared in

The questions it was named for

Each of these is a question a reader might ask an AI assistant, written from the subject of the book without reference to its title. The books listed underneath are the ones named in the same answer.

What are the best books on the psychology of persuasion?

Named at position 1

  • 1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 2. Pre-Suasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 3. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
  • 4. Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive - Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Robert Cialdini
  • 5. Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely

I always end up saying yes to salespeople and regretting it later. What should I read?

Named at position 1

  • 1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 2. The Power of a Positive No - William Ury
  • 3. Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely
  • 4. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

Books that explain why people buy things they don't need?

Named at position 2

  • 1. Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely
  • 2. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 3. Buyology - Martin Lindstrom
  • 4. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping - Paco Underhill
  • 5. The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz

I want to get better at getting buy-in from colleagues without being pushy. Any book recommendations?

Named at position 1

  • 1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 2. Crucial Conversations - Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
  • 3. Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
  • 4. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard - Chip Heath and Dan Heath
  • 5. Humble Inquiry - Edgar H. Schein

Looking for a book on how marketing and advertising manipulate us so I can spot it happening.

Named at position 3

  • 1. The Hidden Persuaders - Vance Packard
  • 2. Brandwashed - Martin Lindstrom
  • 3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 4. Buyology - Martin Lindstrom
  • 5. Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy - Phil Barden

What should I read before I start a job in sales?

Named at position 3

  • 1. SPIN Selling - Neil Rackham
  • 2. The Challenger Sale - Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
  • 3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 4. To Sell Is Human - Daniel H. Pink
  • 5. New Sales. Simplified. - Mike Weinberg

Any classic reads on human behaviour and why we comply with requests?

Named at position 1

  • 1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
  • 2. Obedience to Authority - Stanley Milgram
  • 3. The Social Animal - Elliot Aronson
  • 4. The Lucifer Effect - Philip Zimbardo
  • 5. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

What this measures

This is one reading, taken on 2026-07-30, of whether an AI assistant names this book when asked about its subject. It is not a judgement of the book. It measures how present the book is in what the assistant has read.

Across all 100 books we tested, the average was 51% and 23 were never named at all. See the full index.

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