In the mid-1960s, a researcher, posing as a volunteer, went door to door in an affluent area with an unusual request. The researcher asked if homeowners were willing to place an unsightly billboard on their front lawns, instructing drivers to “DRIVE CAREFULLY.”
A mere 17 percent complied. Not bad, but not surprising, either. The researcher then asked homeowners in another neighborhood; however, this time, he made a seemingly insignificant addition.
Two weeks earlier, a second researcher, also posing as a volunteer, asked homeowners if they were willing to place a small three-inch-square sign in their window that read, “BE A SAFE DRIVE.”
Given the modest nature of the request, most homeowners agreed. The effect of that one decision, however, was enormous. When the first researcher returned, two weeks later, a staggering 76 percent of homeowners offered their front lawns.
One reason for this phenomenon, as suggested by Robert Cialdini, in his book, Influence, was the principle of commitment.
“If I can get you to make a commitment, I will have set for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment,” writes Cialdini. “Once a stand is taken, there is a natural tendency to behave in ways that are stubbornly consistent with the stand.” [1]
In other words, after agreeing to the request, each homeowner began to see themself as the type of person that commits to a worthy cause, such that, when tested, two weeks later, they were motivated to act consistently with this new identity.
While common in sales, the “foot-in-the-door” technique, as it’s known, is also applicable to behavior change.
Suppose you’re trying to lose weight. Complying with a small request—such as putting on your workout shoes after waking up—can, when followed through on, give rise to the potential for a new self-identity: “I’m the type of person who never misses a workout.” [2]
If motivation is what gets you started and habit is what keeps you going, identity, then, is what holds you accountable.
Footnotes
[1] Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini.
[2] James Clear introduced me to the idea of identity-based habits in his book, Atomic Habits.
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