Contagious: Summary and Review

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

See all 300+ book summaries and reviews

Review

This is a fantastic companion to Made To Stick. This book follows much the same format and lighthearted reading style, which is no surprise as Chip Heath was Jonah’s grad school mentor. Made To Stick shows you why ideas are remembered once they are known, but Contagious tells you how ideas become known in the first place.

See Made to Stick: Summary and Review

Summary

STEPPS Acronym:

Social currency

• People need to look good by sharing your idea

Triggers

• People needed to be reminded of your idea by other things in the environment

Emotion

• People need to feel compelled to share because they care emotionally.

Public

• People need to see other people sharing the idea

Practical Value

• People need to get practical value from the idea

Stories

• “Information travels under the guise of idle chatter”