The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon in which people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override. It is part of a larger group of cognitive biases or errors in thinking that influence the judgments and decisions that people make.
This tendency of people to align their beliefs and behaviors with those of a group is also called a herd mentality. The term "bandwagon effect" originates from politics but has wide implications commonly seen in consumer behavior and investment activities.
In their political preferences and positions people join what they perceive to be existing or expected majorities or dominant positions in society. A bandwagon is about shifting vote intentions during a campaign owing to poll exposure. One could conceptualize this as people voting more often for a party leading in the polls as compared with voting for other parties.
It implies that success breeds further success, and alternatives that appear to enjoy a broad popular backing are likely to gain even stronger support. Voters mindlessly follow the bandwagon in a desire to join the winning crowd, rather than expressing their actual personal preference.
Bandwagon effects may manifest themselves in various situations and forms. Examples of the Bandwagon Effect: diets, election, fashion, music, social network.
Peers may influence diet or physical activity through bandwagon effects; it may be more enjoyable to eat, diet, or exercise when one's peers are doing the same. Identifying peer effects is notoriously difficult because individuals tend to associate with people like themselves and peers tend to have similar environmental influences.
Bandwagon effect
