Don’t Fall Into The Big Mistake

Only 23% of people in Bangkok are wearing face masks. This has to change.

At first glance this sounds like a bold campaign message, right? In reality, it falls into what psychologist and author Dr Robert Cialdini calls The Big Mistake. He showed this effect in an experiment at Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. The park wanted to stop visitors from stealing petrified wood. When they put up a sign telling people not to steal and even showed an image of three people doing it, theft tripled. But when the message pointed out that most visitors never stole anything, the rate of theft dropped.

The Big Mistake happens when we make bad behavior seem like the norm by drawing attention to it. A more effective approach is to shine a light on what most people are doing right. For example, a message that says the majority of parents in Bangkok are wearing masks, or that more and more people are starting to use them, sets a positive standard that others are more likely to follow.