Perspective is more important than people think. This video from Ted Talks with Rory Sutherland explains how you can say the same thing in a different way and change the way people react to it. He opens up the conversation by discussing the ban of cigarette smoking at parties. Sometimes you may want to just go off on your own and look out the window, but If you stand off by yourself at a party people will pin you as anti-social. But if you do the same thing with a cigarette then you automatically become a philosopher. It is all about perspective.

Think about transportation. Adding counters on traffic lights have been proven to reduce car accidents and alleviate road rage since you can physically see how long you need to wait. But if you use the same counters on green lights, it encourages people to speed up to make the light which causes more car accidents. So you can see the same idea applied in a different way will yield a different result.

Below is a list of ideas on psychology that deal with perspective.This information can change the way we market our business or present ideas. Sutherland gives the example of taxes. People aren’t very happy with the idea of paying taxes, but it is not just about the actual amount that matters, but what it will be used for. If people know where their money is actually going and approve of the way it is being spent, it affects the attitude they have towards it. People may not be willing to pay a $2.00 toll in order to get to their destination a little faster, but if they know that same $2.00 will go towards a charity, they may be more inclined to pay the toll.

So if we can understand that perspective could make the difference between satisfying customers or turning them away, it could be the missing link we’ve always needed. Sutherland shows the diagram below and explains that it is best to use equal parts technology, economics and psychology to solve problems. People sometimes tend to leave psychology out of it which could actually be one of the most important features of a solution.

This video shows that sometimes things are not strictly black and white; we must always try to see things from all perspectives. You can have a great product or idea, but if you go about it in the wrong way, people may not respond in your favor.