The ancient Greeks — notably Aristotle — used anecdotal observation to nail much of what we know about persuasion. The fundamentals of the art haven’t changed much in 2,300 years, because human nature hasn’t changed, even as the context in which we operate has changed dramatically.

In the 20th century, social psychology took the ancient principles of rhetoric and proved them correct in controlled experiments. The work of Dr.Robert Cialdini in particular helped prove the power of authority, social proof, scarcity, and other fundamental aspects of influence.

Now, we have neuroscience. Brain imaging allows us to go beyond observing human response alone, …read more