Laugh and the world laughs with you. This quote holds much truth. Movies with canned laughter receive more laughter than movies without any canned laughter. Sociologists researched and conducted many experiments to solve this psychological phenomenon. They came up with the principle social proof.
According to Robert Cialdini, social proof is when people use other peopleâÂÂs judgments to view certain behaviors as correct in a given situation. This leads to conformity. A classic example is canned laughter. When people hear artificial laughter in a movie, they will see that laughter is appropriate in the given scene and laugh. Similarly, when people ignore something, others will ignore it as well.
On Friday January 12, 2007, The Washington Post conducted the Joshua Bell experiment. Joshua Bell, a professional violinist, was donned in jeans, long-sleeves, and a baseball ball cap to look like a regular guy. Bell went to LâÂÂEnfant Plaza, a train station that carries many high titled workers. He took out his violin and played six classical songs. A long line of people stood by a lottery stand to win tickets to a concert by famous musicians.
Nobody got out of the line to listen to BellâÂÂs violin solos. Nobody stopped to listen to his entire performance. Seven people stayed for a minute, twenty-seven gave money, but one thousand and seventy people passed by without a glance. Everyone assumed Bell was a regular guy, and thought his music must have been average as well. That judgment passed on as pluralistic ignorance. Since some people ignored BellâÂÂs violin solo, so did everyone else.
Social proof is a powerful force that pushes people into conforming. The Joshua Bell experiment is not the only instance when people ignored Bell because others ignored him. There are many other instances of social proof. Just gather a group of friends, head to a busy area, and look up. YouâÂÂd be surprised to know how many people who pass by look up.