Social norms are the unwritten rules that tell people how to behave in a group. These norms help shape what we do and how we interact with others. Studies show that about 90% of people go along with social norms when they think everyone else accepts them. This shows just how strong the influence of a group can be on a person’s behavior.

How Social Norms Influence Us

1. Conformity:

   • This means changing how you act to fit in with the group.
   • In Solomon Asch's experiments, 75% of people changed their answers to match the group, even when the group was wrong.

2. Obedience:

   • People often listen to authority figures, like teachers or bosses.
   • In a famous study by Stanley Milgram, 65% of participants gave the highest shock levels just because they were told to by an authority figure.

3. Social Facilitation:

   • Having others around can help you do better on simple tasks.
   • One study found that when people performed tasks they were good at, their performance improved by 20% when doing it in a group.

What Social Norms Mean for Us

• Behavior Control: Social norms help guide how people behave. They can lead to good behaviors, like helping others (75% of people say they help out in their community) or risky behaviors (about 40% of teens take risks to fit in).

• Building Identity: Being part of a group affects who you are and how you see yourself. Studies show that feeling like you belong to a group can boost your self-esteem.

In short, social norms are very important in shaping how we act in groups. They influence conformity, obedience, and how we see ourselves, which shows the complicated relationship between individuals and their social environment.