Rationality is sooo yesterday – fashion and the herd mentality

May 14, 2007 We are a curious bunch, us human beings. Obsessed with our individuality and identity, and our ability to make well informed and rational decisions, it seems that most of us subconsciously follow the lead of innovators. Value segmentation models such as VALS2 for marketers have recognized the leadership value of the statistical minority generically known as innovators and now university researchers are beginning to unravel human behaviours and how they fuel trends in fashion. Durham University has examined the phenomenon of trends, and put forward an explanation as to why fads like crazy frog and soul patch goatees become so popular instead of dying in the hellfire they so richly deserve. According to the study, fashions are arbitrarily adopted by a reactive population who base their decisions not on the quality of a product, but rather on the actions of their peer group. The paper, published in the academic journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, claims that trends gain popularity because populations are constantly seeking change; but when it comes to adopting a new fashion they will look to their neighbours rather than to reason.

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