In his latest for B&T, Leif Stromnes, managing director of strategy and growth at DDB Australia, explains why George Clooney’s views on evolution are more convincing to a lot of people that Charles Darwin’s. And it isn’t solely because Clooney was and still is one of the most handsome men in the world.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin is widely considered to be the most famous scientific book ever written. Published on 24 November, 1859, Darwin’s book introduced the theory that species evolved over the course of generations through a process of natural selection.
Today, 98 per cent of the global scientific community accepts evolution as the dominant theory of biological diversity, yet only 33 per cent of the American public believe that we’ve developed as a species solely via natural evolutionary processes. Most find it unpalatable that life is random and chaotic, preferring the idea of the steadying hand of a higher being (God) in the formation of life.
This has vexed scientists the world over, and especially the outspoken biologist Richard Dawkins who used a belligerent style to directly criticise the non-evolutionary believers (even calling them thick) in his book The Greatest Show On Earth; The Evidence For Evolution.
In addition to berating, science researchers have sought to increase the percentage of believers by highlighting the near-consensus among scientists on the validity of evolutionary theory and by referencing thousands of studies that support it.
But as psychologist Robert Cialdini outlines in his bestselling book Influence, it’s a fool’s errand to try and overcome emotionally held beliefs with logical argumentation.
British writer Jonathan Swift recognised this more than 300 years ago when he wrote “it is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into”.
Cialdini introduces us to the concept of “liking”; the idea that we are highly influenced by people we like, even if we have never interacted with them closely or actually met.
To test this theory, a team of Canadian psychologists wanted to see if they could elevate attitudes toward evolution with the simple news that a widely liked individual supported the theory.
The American actor George Clooney* was selected as the “liked” individual for the experiment. This was not a random choice. Clooney is handsome, affable and married to a high-profile human rights lawyer and by most accounts, considered an all-round good guy.
In the study, when people were led to believe Clooney had made favourable comments about a book that took a pro-evolutionary stance, they became significantly more accepting of the theory. What’s more, this change occurred regardless of the participants age, sex or degree of religiosity.
To assure the result wasn’t due to something unique to George Clooney, or to a male celebrity, the researchers redid the study using a widely liked female celebrity, actress Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame. They found the same pattern.
The message is clear. To change feelings, don’t present rational facts. Counteract these feelings with other feelings, and “liking” is a powerful source of such feelings.
The power of liking also extends to the decisions we make about brands. Feeling good about a product or company makes for an automatic and easy good choice, and the emotion of happiness is the most powerful lever for enticing us to purchase. This insight is evidenced in the explosion of influencer marketing. In 2024, there are an estimated 50 million influencers, or “creators” as they like to be called worldwide, with growth rates of 10 per cent to 20 per cent annually. Their primary role, like George Clooney in the pro evolutionary experiment, is to make favourable comments about products and services and use their “liking” to influence their followers.
Interestingly, not many consumer brands are able to change behaviour or influence purchases with feelings of dislike or negativity. A bit like the frustrated scientists berating the evolutionary non-believers, people can quickly and effortless default to a prior strongly held position, even if there is no scientific or rational reason to do so.
It is worth noting that smoking cessation and anti-speeding messages are two notable exceptions to the liking rule, but these are designed to change public opinions, not entice you to make a purchase.
*Footnote on George Clooney
It is perhaps no coincidence that George Clooney swayed opinion on Joe Biden’s suitability to continue in the American presidential race with his essay in the New York Times. Even though the facts had not changed, Clooney was successfully able to counter strongly held feelings with other feelings largely because he was well liked. Especially by Joe Biden.
