The Behavioral Contagion Effect
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Summary
Psychologists have long recognized that the social environment profoundly shapes people's behavior, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. At the same time, social influence is bidirectional: the environment we live in is itself a product of our behavior. We are building bigger houses, driving heavier cars, and engaging in many other activities that threaten the planet because our friends and neighbors are doing so.
When facing profound global problems such as the climate crisis, most people believe that individual choices seem insignificant and that politicians and businesses should be relied upon to create change on a larger scale. But Robert Frank argues that while policy change is crucial, our individual actions create the necessary social influence that makes these changes possible. Persuading one person to change their behavior can produce measurable ripple effects, generating progress toward large-scale change that extends beyond that individual.
This book fully demonstrates Robert Frank's commitment and sense of responsibility as a scholar. We should make full use of the positive power of behavioral contagion to influence others, which will change the way we think about and act on major crises, thereby creating a better world.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in behavioral economics and the mechanisms of social influence
- Urban readers concerned with consumption habits, housing, and lifestyle choices
- Readers concerned about the climate crisis who want to understand the significance of individual action
- People working in marketing, communications, or public advocacy who need to understand group behavior
Not a good fit for
- Professional researchers seeking systematic policy designs or quantitative models
- Readers looking for immediate personal finance or consumption tips
- Readers with little interest in social science discussion who prefer purely technical content
Reading tips
- Start with the opening discussion of the core argument about peer pressure, then read the subsequent consumption and housing cases with questions in mind.
- When reading the consumption cases, note three choices in your own life that are influenced by others and compare them with the book's explanations.
- For the section on the climate crisis, reflect in light of your daily decisions and list one or two behavioral changes you could try.
- After finishing, discuss the book's arguments with friends—this itself is a small experiment in experiencing behavioral contagion.
About the publisher
Zhejiang Education Publishing House is a professional publisher focusing on educational publishing while also serving general readers and academic accumulation, with publications covering textbooks, educational readers, popular science, and academic works. Judging from the more than 1,000 titles in the database, the press places considerable emphasis on classics and traditional culture for general readers: modern literature includes Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Wild Grass, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, and Zhu Ziqing's Back View; classical poetry includes Three Hundred Tang Poems and selections from the "Good Chinese Poetry" series, such as the Chu Ci and Qing ci anthologies. Related authors include modern writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, and Zhu Ziqing, as well as classical literature selectors and annotators such as Hengtang Tuishi, Jin Xingyao, Jin Kaicheng, and Qian Zhonglian. Common categories in the database also include social novels, classic works, prose and miscellaneous writings, popular science, and inspirational growth, reflecting a publishing orientation that balances educational service with the popularization of public culture.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 推荐序 借助行为传染的力量更好地应对挑战
- 序言 行为传染塑造社会环境
- 引言 学会正视行为传染在生活中的关键作用
- 第一部分 行为传染的起源"
- 第1章 环境如何塑造感知
- 第2章 模仿的冲动
- 第二部分 行为传染效应既是问题，也是答案"
- 第3章 对惩罚的恐惧让你成为一个更可信的人
- 第4章 朋友的习惯也会变成你的习惯
- 第5章 对商品意义的理解，决定了你的消费模式
- 第6章 对生活方式的选择，影响着能源消耗总量
- 第三部分 让行为传染效应发挥积极的作用
- 第7章 运用政策工具来塑造环境
- 第8章 创造更具鼓励性的环境
- 第9章 正确理解和运用“整体认知幻觉之母”
- 第10章 用高质量的提问促成持续有效的对话
- 后记 用行为传染的力量造福人类
- 译者后记 行为传染效应与人类社会的重大关联
FAQ
What is this book mainly about?
Do I need a background in economics?
Does the book provide a specific action checklist?
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About the author
Robert Frank's publicly available information is limited, and Chinese readers mainly know him through his popular economics writings. Seven of his works are included in the collection, among them the four-volume Milk Cola Economics series, Success and Luck, Behavioral Contagion Effects, and The Metaverse and New Trends in the Intelligent Economy (12 volumes). They are generally classified under management and finance. His writing excels at approaching economics through everyday phenomena, using cases and stories to explain economic logic and lower the barrier to specialized knowledge, making it highly readable; he also examines broader social mechanisms such as luck, randomness, and behavioral contagion. Overall, his works combine accessibility with concern for real-world issues and suit general readers who wish to understand how the economy works without difficulty.
Gong Yongquan is an author about whom limited public information is available. His identity details and personal record cannot yet be fully confirmed. Only one of his works is held in the library collection, namely The Behavioral Contagion Effect, commonly categorized under finance and economics. This work suggests that the author pays attention to behavioral patterns in the economic and financial fields, especially how group behavior spreads like contagion and further influences market judgments and individual decisions. Such subject matter usually requires the author to combine psychological observation with financial phenomena and to explain abstract mechanisms through cases close to everyday life, so the writing style tends to balance analysis with readability rather than pure theoretical deduction. Based on the information currently available, it is not enough to describe his educational background, professional experience, or writing career, nor can his nationality and dates of birth and death be confirmed. Readers who wish to learn more about the author may form their own judgment by examining the specific content of the book.
