As someone who majored in Computer Science and did well in math (at least until Calculus 4), I’ve always appreciated logic. Spock and Data were some of my favorite Star Trek characters, and I never really got into shows that were all about the drama.
So I was disappointed to realize that logic doesn’t play as much of a part in our lives as I’d thought, especially when it comes to making decisions or forming opinions.
This isn’t to say that logic doesn’t play any role, but here are three reasons why it’s low on the list of priorities.
1: Confirmation bias
One reason logic faces an uphill battle is confirmation bias. This is when you look for information that supports your view or decision and ignore or reject anything that contradicts that stance.
This can quickly become self-reinforcing behavior. The more you find to back up your original decision or idea, the more convinced you’ll be that it was correct, and you’ll reject any other information even more strongly.
This also has a social component. If you’ve shared your decision with others, changing your mind can be very embarrassing. That makes it all the harder to change.
2: Being illogical isn’t always popular
That brings me to the second reason logic doesn’t always prevail – it’s not always the most popular approach.
It may seem like being popular and making rational choices should go hand in hand, but we all know they don’t. Consider how often someone who appears purely logical is considered cold or calculating, and people may question whether they have a heart.
More often, those who are popular are impulsive, act on their gut instinct, and let emotion lead the way. Just think about the difference between Kirk and Spock.
And when we do something that makes us popular, it activates the reward centers of our brains. This is true even if that behavior wasn’t logical.
So if you’re popular and get a reward even when you’re not rational, why be logical?
3: Desire to belong
And that brings me to the third reason, which is that we all have a desire to belong. And many of our beliefs and opinions are heavily influenced by our “tribe.”
But if you’re challenged on a belief or asked to make a decision that goes against your tribe, you’re in a very difficult position. If you go with logic, you risk becoming an outsider. On the flip side, if you want to stay in the group, you may have to make a decision that part of you knows is wrong.
Many times, staying in the tribe will win out over logic.
If not logic, then what?
You may be wondering, if you can’t rely on logic to persuade people with your marketing, what can do you? Here are some tips:
- Find common ground and build trust: The first thing is to find something in common with the other person. This will help you build a rapport with them and establish some level of trust by becoming something other than a stranger from another tribe. And if they have that connection with you, it becomes a little less fraught if they risk losing popularity in their tribe.
- Listen to their perspective: Once you’ve started forming a relationship with the other person, make sure to listen to their perspective. This will deepen the level of trust, and it will also give you some valuable insight into what they’re thinking and experiencing.
- Make an emotional appeal: When you’re ready to ask them to decide on something, first make an emotional appeal. Since you have some connection with them and understand where they’re coming from, you can tailor this to their needs and approach it in a way that will hopefully not make them defensive.
- Follow up with logic: And finally, you can end with the logical reasons why you want them to make a certain decision. Even if their decision isn’t based purely on logic, having those logical reasons will help to justify your request.
Logic is part of the process, not the whole
When you want someone to make a decision or change their opinion, it’s tempting to use logic, but on its own, logic won’t win out. We all experience confirmation bias, and sometimes making a rational decision isn’t popular and may even mean we’re no longer welcome in our tribe.
This isn’t to say that you can’t use logic, but it should come at the end. You should always start with finding a way to connect with the other person, understanding where they’re coming from, and using emotion. Only then will logic help to finalize your position. It’s still not a guarantee that you’ll persuade them, but you’ll have a much better chance than by using logic alone.