Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini is a psychologist, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion, and speaker who shares the science of why people say yes and how to persuade ethically.
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Known for
Overview
- Work
- Psychologist, author, and keynote speaker
- Academic home
- Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University
- Education
- Psychology degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina; postdoctoral training at Columbia
- Breakout book
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, first published in 1984
Mini bio
How it started.
Cialdini trained in psychology at Wisconsin and North Carolina, then did postdoctoral work at Columbia. He joined Arizona State University’s psychology department in 1971. His central question became a familiar one: what makes someone agree to a request?
Learning in the field.
To understand persuasion outside the laboratory, he entered training programs for people whose work depended on getting a yes. He concealed his identity and purpose, then looked for the techniques that kept appearing across different professions. He describes that undercover work in his Orion’s Method interview.
The books fans return to.
Influence arrived in 1984, explaining six principles of persuasion. The 2021 expanded edition added a seventh, unity. Pre-Suasion, published in 2016, examines how the moment before a message can shape its reception. With Steve J. Martin and Noah Goldstein, he also co-wrote The small BIG.
Still asking questions.
His recent interviews bring the research into conversations about AI, leadership, and human connection. He also co-authored research on persuasion techniques and AI safeguards. Across these appearances, he keeps returning to the ethics of gaining agreement.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2021Influence, New and ExpandedAuthor
- 2016Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and PersuadeAuthor
- 2014The small BIG: small changes that spark big influenceCo-author with Steve J. Martin and Noah Goldstein
- 1984Influence: The Psychology of PersuasionAuthor
Research
Awards
Quotes
I am stressing the ethics of the process, not just the effectiveness of it.Robert Cialdini, Behavioral Science for Brands
Asked what people misunderstand about Influence, July 22, 2026. Transcript: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2088421/episodes/19523164-inside-influence-live-with-dr-robert-cialdini
Trivia
- Colleagues call him Bob. Behavioral Grooves devoted a three-part series to his life and work.
- His early life included a possible route into minor league baseball, discussed in What Makes Bob Bob.
- Asked which persuasion principle he finds hardest to resist, he singled out liking in his Behavioral Science for Brands interview.
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