Peer Pressure Can Be a Lifesaver

Social norms have so much sway that it’s possible to get people to change their behavior simply by telling them what the norm is.

When we hear that someone succumbed to peer pressure or conformed to group expectations, we are inclined to think about it in negative terms. We imagine a young person smoking his first cigarette or an adult parroting the consensus of her community. We know that these social forces can cause people to act in ways that are harmful to themselves and others; but every day we are discovering more ways that they can be harnessed to solve problems in health, education and other areas. This is crucial. For decades, development organizations have spent billions of dollars developing medicines, installing wells, or building clinics or schools that people have not fully used, if they have used them at all.

By HELEN COSTER

Full Story: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/peer-pressure-can-be-a-lifesaver/?_php=true&_type=blogs&hp&rref=opinion&_r=0