“In large measure, who we are with respect to any choice is where we are, attentionally, in the moment before the choice.”

Why it was said

Cialdini writes this in Pre-Suasion after reviewing studies in which people's decisions shifted with what had been brought to their attention just beforehand. It restates the book's central claim from the side of the person deciding rather than the persuader.

What it actually means

We like to think our choices express stable preferences. Cialdini's evidence suggests they also reflect whatever was most prominent in our minds a moment earlier: a question about helpfulness, an image on a web page, a word in an opening line. The effect has limits. Some of the priming studies the book draws on have not replicated well, and strong prior preferences are hard to move. But the practical lesson holds in both directions: if you want to make a considered decision, notice what has just been put in front of you; if you want to help someone else decide well, take care with what you put there.

How to use it

1. 1Before an important purchase or decision, pause and ask what has just been brought to your attention, and by whom.
2. 2Schedule decisions that matter for a time when you have just reviewed your own goals, not straight after a sales pitch.
3. 3When you present options to others, open with the criterion that matters most to them.