A study led by a Stanford University professor of marketing revealed that what those around us do continues to influence our decisions, particularly on airplanes.


Becoming an adult doesn’t mean that one is no longer vulnerable to the effects of peer pressure.

A study led by a Stanford University professor of marketing revealed that what those around us do continues to influence our decisions and one place where that’s especially prevalent is on airplanes.

Buying behaviors related to onboard offerings like movies, snacks, and alcohol were monitored on nearly 2 thousand flights.

The data collected was sorted and sifted through to eliminate actions that may have been motivated by sources other than perfect strangers.

For the purpose of identifying the flow of influence, passenger decisions were assessed in relation to the ones of people sitting beside and in front of them.

Peer pressure was declared the deciding factor to go ahead and order up a film or a snack if the person sitting adjacent had just done so, but not the one just ahead.

It turned out that an astounding 30 percent of in-flight purchases were the result of being swayed by the choices of others.

Said the study’s author of his discovery, “That magnitude I really didn’t expect."

What do you think? Are you more likely to make a purchase on flights if others are doing it??