What is Information about others’ approval?
This technique tells a person that important others would approve of the target behavior or disapprove of the alternative, leveraging injunctive social norms.
How it works
Humans are deeply motivated by social approval. Information about others’ approval works through normative influence: people adjust behavior to align with what significant others expect. The technique is most effective when the ‘others’ are people the individual respects and the approval is about the specific behavior.
Applied example
A doctor telling a teenager that ‘your parents, coaches, and friends all want you to stay away from vaping’ activates injunctive norm pressure from multiple valued sources, more motivating than abstract health statistics for adolescents who prioritize social belonging.
Why it matters
Information about others’ approval leverages the fundamental human need for social belonging, providing social motivation that complements or outweighs personal health motivation.
