"We're all headed for an 'ignorance spiral' if we don't stop American standards of persuasion from deteriorating . . . Don't be part of the problem. Read the book."Philadelphia Inquirer

"A brilliant tour-de-force . . . about the most pervasive cultural phenomena of our time."George Gerbner, Dean Emeritus of the Annenberg School of Communication

"The authors . . . inform, provoke, and occasionally shock the reader about the ways in which our beliefs, preferences, and choices are constantly influenced."Mahzarin Banaji, Yale University

"After reading this book, I have begun to doubt that I ever had much control over how I have been influenced by media hype and clever half-truths."James Randi, debunker of psychic fraud and author of Flim-Flam and The Mask of Nostradamus

"I could easily list ten reasons why you should read this book, but your boss and colleagues will probably tell you more about it at the office tomorrowor worse, your competitors will show you next week."Peter H. Farquhar, Center for Product Research, Carnegie-Mellon University

"A gold mine of valuable information and insights into the persuasion process."Robert B. Cialdini, Arizona State University, and author of Influence

"A people's guide to baloney-detecting."Seattle Times

Includes bibliographical references (p. [357]-397) and index.

Our age of propaganda — Mysterious influence — Mindless propaganda, thoughtful persuasion — The rationalizing animal — The four stratagems of influence — Words of influence — Pictures in our heads — Saddam Hussein : the Hitler of Baghdad? — Questionable persuasion — The power of decoys — The psychology of factoids — The credible communicator — Breakfast of champions, junk food for the self — How do you persuade if everyone knows you are untrustworthy, unbelievable, and disliked? — The manufacture of credibility — Prizefighter slays eleven with one look : the influence of mass media models — Packages — Self-sell — Naked attics and neighborhood war heroes : on vividness in communication — Why do they keep repeating the same ads? — If you have nothing to say--distract them — If you want to gain an inch, ask for a mile--sometimes! — Protagoras' ideal : one-sided puffery versus two-sided debate — The fear appeal — The granfalloon technique — Guilt sells — What is the influence of one flower given? — The committed heart — To practice what you preach — The psychology of scarcity and the mystique of phantoms — Education or propaganda? — What is news? — On the ineffectiveness of information campaigns — Subliminal sorcery : who is seducing whom? — Persuasion direct — How to become a cult leader — Propaganda in the Third Reich : a case for uncertainty — Is forewarned forearmed? Or how to really resist propaganda — What we can do to stop propaganda in its tracks — Peitho's children.