There are laws when it comes to nature. There are laws when it comes to people as well.

People respond to the same few things. If you want to influence anyone, remember these key principles.

1/ Reciprocity is universal among humans.

If someone does you a favour, you feel obligated to give back. You feel that way because the other person is doing something without a guarantee of reward, and you don't want to be unfair to him.

Keep giving first if you want to take.

2/ Nothing gets us like scarcity.

Tell somebody they can't have something, and you'll see that they want it more. We want to taste forbidden fruit.

Brands like Gucci, Hermes and Lamborghini don't come cheap. You can't get them easily.

Which makes you want them more.

3/ Even if someone tells you that he's a rebel, he still responds to authority at heart.

Not someone in a position of power, but someone who is credible. Credibility in the form of knowledge, experience, or skin in the game.

Get smarter, do more things, take more risks.

4/ Consistency matters. We like to be consistent with things we've said or done, and even more so if it concerns our identity.

A person who thinks of himself as fit will not eat junk food. A person who parties hard will keep getting drunk.

People will always double down.

5/ Principle of liking: we do more for people we like.

This is simple enough. My friends are more likely to retweet and like this thread. Those who dislike me will reply with a vile comment.

This can't be said enough - don't be an asshole.

6/ Last on the list is social proof.

The easiest way to explain this is monkey see, monkey do. When we're at a loss, we look to people around us and we mirror their behaviour.

Get early support for your ideas. Use that to garner further support. This keeps the wheel turning.