Persuasion through Agreement

Tali Sharot discusses how agreement can be used as a tool for persuasion. When two people agree on a topic, their brains show activity that suggests they are including information from the agreeing partner, resulting in increased confidence. Conversely, when two people disagree, the brain shuts down and doesn't encode information from the disagreeing partner. Sharot suggests that starting with something in common can be a more effective approach to changing beliefs or opinions. She cites a study at UCLA where parents who didn't want to vaccinate their kids were convinced to do so by focusing on a common goal rather than disagreement.