Research Summaries: A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels

Towels on a rack in a hotel room (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Don’ Panic. I know the title of this research article seems heavy, so keep your towel nearby as I try to walk you through this article from Cialdini et al in the Journal of Consumer Research.   Cialdini is famous for his book Influence and his work focuses around how to influence other people. One way to get people to do what you want, is to refer to social norms and thus use the power of peer pressure.  For example, a toothpaste  manufacturer may advertise that most people do use toothpaste and that too of their brand. Thus, a social norm is highlighted and this influences subsequent behavior of the consumer. Another way to influence is by referencing to some standards. Like the toothpaste manufacturer may advertise that it has salt in it, or is made organically, something that has to do with the merits of the product per se and not so much whether the majority use it in this way or the other. One of the problems hotel owners face is reuse of towels by the guests. They would like to encourage reuse of towels (rather than washing them daily) if the guest is staying for a long duration (more than one night), for both economic as well as environmental reasons. They typically use environmental themed messages to encourage reuse of towels. Caildini et al placed signs for reuse that used the usual environmental pitch (control condition) and also signs for reuse that referenced a social norm (viz. that 75 % or...
Source: The Mouse Trap - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Research Summaries influence persuasion Source Type: podcasts