Irrational Exuberance · Robert Shiller

The bandwagon effect examples

Curated by · reviewed 2026-06-01

The bandwagon effect is how people adopt a belief or behaviour faster the more others already have — popularity feeds on itself, regardless of merit. Examples:

What is the bandwagon effect? Read the full idea →

5 examples of the bandwagon effect

  1. Fashion and fads

    Something becomes cool because it's spreading, not because it's better.

  2. Election momentum

    Voters drift toward whoever looks likely to win — everyone wants to back the winner.

  3. Best-seller lists

    A book sells more because it's already selling well, in a self-reinforcing loop.

  4. Viral trends

    A dance or product explodes mainly because lots of people are already doing it.

  5. Market manias

    Prices rise because they're rising, as crowds pile into the popular bet (see also social proof).

How to spot it in yourself

You'll forget most of this by next week.

That's just how memory works. Lock the bandwagon effect in with a 5-minute active-recall session — spaced repetition, no signup.

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