The Psychology Behind Persuasive Framing

I am reading the book Influence is your superpower by Zoey Chance. In particular I found the chapter on framing quite intriguing. It talks about how different types of frames can be used to influence actions.

The main idea behind using frames comes from exploiting the two systems our brain uses: System 1 (referred to as ‘gator’ in the book) is the fast system that is responsible for processing most of the inputs to our brain. This is also responsible for how we feel. In contrast, System 2 (referred to as ‘judge’ in the book) is the slow and lazy system that does detailed analysis and calculations. The second system consumes too many brain resources, so it is idle most of the time and is used only for the decisions that truly require focus. System 1 also influences System 2 since most tasks go through System 1 first and the inputs to System 2 are filtered there. This concept is also explained in the book Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. 

Framing essentially means setting the right context and presenting the information in a particular format. Since System 1 processes information quickly and emotionally, the way information is framed can determine how we react without deep analysis. Zoey describes three types of frames in that chapter: Monumental, Manageable, and Mysterious. Let’s look at each of those.

Monumental

Monumental framing tells the System 1 to pay attention because something is a ‘big deal’. It inspires enthusiasm. Companies sometimes use this type of frame when they set up their mission statements. For example, Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. A particular example I liked in the book was about removing ‘inheritance tax’ (tax applied to properties that are inherited beyond a certain limit) in the USA. When the ‘inheritance tax’ was framed as ‘estate tax’, most people were not so excited about removing it. But when the same tax was referred to as ‘death tax’, people changed their mind. Notice again that this is the doing of System 1 thinking and not System 2.

Manageable

Often, people avoid taking action because the task or the commitment is too big. System 1 tends to ignore them. In those cases, it helps to frame them as something that is manageable. Here is an example: Paying credit card debt is hard for some people. But, when those people were asked to pay the credit card expenses for a particular category (like travel), they could do so (since it is smaller). It turns out that just breaking down the debt into multiple sizable components changed the frame, and people paid the entire debt about 12% faster. 

Mysterious

System 1 is fast. It sometimes fills in the gaps by predicting things. It is very good at it. Since it is so good, it can also predict what to ignore and where to pay attention. When the prediction is disrupted for any reason, System 1 is forced to pay attention. This is done by using the mysterious frames. It looks something like these phrases: new, suddenly, breaking news, secret, etc.

Sometimes, choosing the right frame can be tricky. The phrase ‘Global warming’ uses the monumental frame. It did not receive much attention compared to the phrase ‘Climate change’ (more accurate framing of the concept). Even better attention was pulled by the phrase ‘Climate crisis’ (manageable, but something needs to be done right away). 

The three types can also be combined. For example, “The life-changing magic of tidying up” was used as a title for a book by Marie Kondo. This combines monumental (life-changing), manageable (tidying up), and mysterious (magic) frames. Now that you know about framing, you might be able to recognize them in many titles for YouTube videos and social media posts.

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Quote: “All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”  — Tim Ferris, 4 hour workweek