Motivation & Engagement
Social Influence & Relatedness (Core Drive 5)
People are moved by what others do, think, and say — proof, belonging, and comparison all drive action.
Where it comes from
It's the fifth of Yu-kai Chou's eight Core Drives. Social Influence & Relatedness captures the many ways other people move us — proof, mentorship, companionship, competition, belonging, and the desire to be close to those we relate to.
Why it matters for your website
We are social animals. Octalysis Core Drive 5 (Social Influence & Relatedness) shows that what other people do and choose is among the strongest motivators there is. Missing social proof on a conversion page is one of the higher-cost UX omissions.
This drive is broad — it spans social proof, comparison, belonging, mentorship, and competition — but on conversion pages its most common form is the simplest: showing what other people do and choose, because that's among the strongest motivators there is.
Which is why missing social proof is one of the higher-cost UX omissions. A conversion page with no evidence of other people — no reviews, no counts, no faces, no community — asks the visitor to act in a social vacuum, ignoring one of the most reliable levers of human behaviour.
Wrong vs right
A conversion page with no reviews, customer counts, faces, or sense of community — a social vacuum.
Visible evidence of other people: reviews, testimonials, counts, faces, and a sense of belonging.
Ignoring comparison and belonging, treating the visitor as an isolated individual.
Surfacing what peers do and choose, and the community the visitor could join.
Hiding the social dimension of the product behind a purely individual experience.
Making relatedness visible — who else is here, what they're doing, where the visitor fits.
Understanding Social Influence & Relatedness (Core Drive 5)
Social Influence & Relatedness is the fifth of Yu-kai Chou's eight Core Drives, and one of the broadest. It captures all the ways other people motivate us: social proof, mentorship, companionship, competition, acceptance, belonging, and the pull to be near those we relate to. We are, fundamentally, social animals, and what others do and choose shapes our own behaviour powerfully.
On a website, this drive takes many forms, but its most common and load-bearing one is social proof — showing what other people do, choose, and say. Reviews, testimonials, user counts, recognisable faces, and a visible community all engage relatedness and reassure the visitor that others like them have gone before.
Its absence is costly. A conversion page with no evidence of other people asks the visitor to act in a social vacuum — and missing social proof is one of the higher-cost UX omissions, because it ignores one of the most reliable levers of human behaviour. It connects directly to social proof, informational cascades, and the Octalysis framework.
How Kweri checks it
Kweri can check whether a page surfaces the social dimension — reviews, testimonials, user counts, faces, community signals — and flag conversion pages that present the offer in a social vacuum. What it can't verify is whether that social evidence is genuine and relevant to the visitor, which is a matter of your real customers. So Kweri reliably surfaces the absence or weakness of social proof and relatedness signals and prompts you to add them, while the authenticity and relevance of what you show remain yours to ensure.
FAQ
What is Social Influence & Relatedness?
It's the fifth of Yu-kai Chou's eight Octalysis Core Drives: the many ways other people motivate us — social proof, comparison, belonging, mentorship, and competition. As social animals, we're strongly moved by what others do, think, and choose.
How do I use this drive on a conversion page?
Surface the social dimension: reviews, testimonials, user counts, recognisable faces, and a sense of community. Show what others like the visitor do and choose, since that's among the strongest motivators there is.
Why is missing social proof so costly?
Because it asks the visitor to act in a social vacuum, ignoring one of the most reliable levers of human behaviour. A conversion page with no evidence of other people forfeits the reassurance and motivation that relatedness provides.
What forms does this drive take?
Many: social proof (what others choose), comparison and competition, belonging and acceptance, mentorship and companionship. On conversion pages the most common form is social proof, but the broader drive covers all our social motivations.
How is this related to social proof?
Social proof is the most common expression of this drive on web pages. Social Influence & Relatedness is the broader motivational category; social proof — showing what others do and say — is its most load-bearing application in conversion design.
Related principles
People look to what others do and say to judge the right course of action, especially when unsure.
People infer what's correct or normal from what they see others doing, and cascade behind it — making visible behaviour contagious.
People feel pulled to return a favour — give something of value first and the urge to reciprocate is strong.
Attribution & sources
Identified by Yu-kai Chou. Catalogued from Yu-kai Chou — Octalysis: Core Drive 5 (Social Influence & Relatedness).
The fifth Core Drive in Chou's Octalysis gamification framework; the linked article is the primary source.
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