

Human Factory Settings: The Psychology of Conviction and Influence
Key Insights#
Convictions are often the result of emotional algorithms, not rational deliberation
Cognitive biases create systematic, predictable errors in decision-making
Persuasion leverages fundamental social wiring for compliance
Understanding these mechanisms is essential for critical thinking and autonomy
Related Content#
- Psychology of Scarcity & Abundance - How resource availability shapes cognition
References#
Berger, J. (2013). Contagious: How to build word of mouth in the digital age. Simon & Schuster.
Browne, M. N., & Keeley, S. M. (2018). Asking the right questions: A guide to critical thinking (12th ed.). Pearson.
Cialdini, R. B. (1984). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. Harper Business.
Eyal, N. (2014). Hooked: How to build habit-forming products. Portfolio.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Lakoff, G. (2004). Don’t think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Levitin, D. J. (2016). Weaponized lies: How to think critically in the post-truth era. Dutton.
Sunstein, C. R., & Thaler, R. H. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press.
Westen, D. (2007). The political brain: The role of emotion in deciding the fate of the nation. PublicAffairs.
Wu, T. (2016). The attention merchants: The epic scramble to get inside our heads. Knopf.
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Harari, Y. N. (2015). Homo deus: A brief history of tomorrow (H. Watzman, Trans.). Harper. (Original work published 2015)
McRaney, D. (2021). How minds change: The surprising science of belief, opinion, and persuasion. Portfolio/Penguin.
Schelling, T. C. (1960). The strategy of conflict. Harvard University Press.
Tufekci, Z. (2017). Twitter and tear gas: The power and fragility of networked protest. Yale University Press.



