Bandwagon effect

The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon where people adopt certain behaviors, styles, or attitudes simply because others are doing so.^[1] More specifically, it is a cognitive bias by which public opinion or behaviours can alter due to particular actions and beliefs rallying amongst the public.^[2] It is a psychological phenomenon whereby the rate of uptake of beliefs, ideas, fads and trends increases with respect to the proportion of others who have already done so.^[3] As more people come to believe in something, others also "hop on the bandwagon" regardless of the underlying evidence.

Following others' actions or beliefs can occur because of conformism or deriving information from others. Much of the influence of the bandwagon effect comes from the desire to 'fit in' with peers; by making similar selections as other people, this is seen as a way to gain access to a particular social group.^[4] An example of this is fashion trends wherein the increasing popularity of a certain garment or style encourages more acceptance.^[5] When individuals make rational choices based on the information they receive from others, economists have proposed that information cascades can quickly form in which people ignore their personal information signals and follow the behaviour of others.^[6] Cascades explain why behaviour is fragile as people understand that their behaviour is based on a very limited amount of information. As a result, fads form easily but are also easily dislodged.^{[citation needed]} The phenomenon is observed in various fields, such as economics, political science, medicine, and psychology.^[7] In social psychology, people's tendency to align their beliefs and behaviors with a group is known as 'herd mentality' or 'groupthink'.^[8] The reverse bandwagon effect (also known as the snob effect in certain contexts) is a cognitive bias that causes people to avoid doing something, because they believe that other people are doing it.^[9]

^ Kiss, Áron; Simonovits, Gábor (2014). "Identifying the bandwagon effect in two-round elections". Public Choice. 160 (3/4): 327–344. doi:10.1007/s11127-013-0146-y. JSTOR 24507550. S2CID 155059990.
^ Schmitt-Beck, Rüdiger (2015), "Bandwagon Effect", The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication, American Cancer Society, pp. 1–5, doi:10.1002/9781118541555.wbiepc015, ISBN 978-1-118-54155-5, retrieved 2021-04-25
^ Colman, Andrew (2003). Oxford Dictionary of Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-19-280632-7.
^ van Herpen, Erica; Pieters, Rik; Zeelenberg, Marcel (2009). "When demand accelerates demand: Trailing the bandwagon". Journal of Consumer Psychology. 19 (3): 302–312. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2009.01.001. ISSN 1057-7408. JSTOR 45106190.
^ D. Stephen Long; Nancy Ruth Fox (2007). Calculated Futures: Theology, Ethics, and Economics. Baylor University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-60258-014-5. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
^ Bikhchandani, Sushil; Hirshleifer, David; Welch, Ivo (1992). "A Theory of Fads, Fashion, Custom, and Cultural Change as Informational Cascades" (PDF). Journal of Political Economy. 100 (5): 992–1026. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.728.4791. doi:10.1086/261849. JSTOR 2138632. S2CID 7784814.
^ "Bandwagon Effect - Overview, Economics and Finance, Examples". Corporate Finance Institute. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
^ Bloom, Linda (August 11, 2017). "The Bandwagon Effect | Psychology Today Canada". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
^ "The Bandwagon Effect: Why People Tend to Follow the Crowd". Effectiviology. Retrieved 2021-05-12.

[:1-1] Kiss, Áron; Simonovits, Gábor (2014). "Identifying the bandwagon effect in two-round elections". Public Choice. 160 (3/4): 327–344. doi:10.1007/s11127-013-0146-y. JSTOR 24507550. S2CID 155059990.

[2] Schmitt-Beck, Rüdiger (2015), "Bandwagon Effect", The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication, American Cancer Society, pp. 1–5, doi:10.1002/9781118541555.wbiepc015, ISBN 978-1-118-54155-5, retrieved 2021-04-25

[3] Colman, Andrew (2003). Oxford Dictionary of Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-19-280632-7.

[:0-4] van Herpen, Erica; Pieters, Rik; Zeelenberg, Marcel (2009). "When demand accelerates demand: Trailing the bandwagon". Journal of Consumer Psychology. 19 (3): 302–312. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2009.01.001. ISSN 1057-7408. JSTOR 45106190.

[LongFox2007-5] D. Stephen Long; Nancy Ruth Fox (2007). Calculated Futures: Theology, Ethics, and Economics. Baylor University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-60258-014-5. Retrieved 30 August 2013.

[:2-6] Bikhchandani, Sushil; Hirshleifer, David; Welch, Ivo (1992). "A Theory of Fads, Fashion, Custom, and Cultural Change as Informational Cascades" (PDF). Journal of Political Economy. 100 (5): 992–1026. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.728.4791. doi:10.1086/261849. JSTOR 2138632. S2CID 7784814.

[:3-7] "Bandwagon Effect - Overview, Economics and Finance, Examples". Corporate Finance Institute. Retrieved 2021-05-12.

[8] Bloom, Linda (August 11, 2017). "The Bandwagon Effect | Psychology Today Canada". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2021-05-12.

[:4-9] "The Bandwagon Effect: Why People Tend to Follow the Crowd". Effectiviology. Retrieved 2021-05-12.

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