It is a core need for people to feel they have done something of value in their life. Even if it’s insignificant and even if the effort was minuscule, people do generally crave adulation.
A train driver this morning spent 2 minutes on the intercom reiterating how he influenced the decision to prioritise our train. He was trying so hard to emphasise his efforts that he was beginning to sound desperate. No one else really seemed to bother. It is a micro decision and action for his own well being.
So how can we make use of this? It basically means that emotional decisions are extremely important. If we learn this, we can influence many even if the logic is defied. When opposing views are strong focjs on what emotions something entails and less on logic.