Persuasion Tip: Stop Making Sense: Make It Easy

Many thanks to our Noblahblah friend Sam Ha for contributing this blog.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-ha/

Persuasion Tip: Stop Making Sense: Make It Easy

Logic alone doesn’t persuade. As Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow explains, our brains rely more on instinct than reason. If you want to be persuasive, don’t just give people facts, make your message feel intuitive and effortless. People trust what feels right, even if it’s not rational.

The science of cognitive ease

Kahneman’s research shows that people favor information that is easy to process. To put this into practice, a 2006 study by Alter and Oppenheimer found that investors preferred stock ticker symbols that were easier to pronounce, leading to higher early stock prices. This phenomenon, called cognitive ease, means that simple, familiar ideas seem more credible – even if they don’t make much logical sense. 

Why logic doesn’t work

The brain can be slow and analytical. But this takes effort. It means people resist when they’re confronted with complex reasoning. As a result, when they’re faced with information that feels difficult, they may dismiss it in favor of simpler, more intuitive explanations. Familiarity, ease and emotional appeal often override logical analysis.

The origins of Thinking, Fast and Slow

Kahneman began researching decision-making in the 1970s with Amos Tversky. Their work revealed that people rely on mental shortcuts, or heuristics, which lead to predictable biases. Their findings revolutionized economics and psychology, earning Kahneman a Nobel Prize. Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) distilled these ideas, showing how emotions and instincts often overrule logic.

How to make persuasion effortless

To be more persuasive, avoid making people think too hard. Keep your message simple, repeat key ideas and make sure your story resonates with what they already believe. Don’t overwhelm with logic: create familiarity and ease. People are far more likely to accept a story when it feels right.

Try it – you know it makes sense!

Sources:

Alter, A. L., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2006). “Predicting short-term stock fluctuations by using processing fluency.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(24), 9369-9372.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.