Information alone rarely empowers people to make changes in their lives. Information empowers when social and emotional factors induce people to reinterpret that information, and act on it. Key principles for applying theses insights to education, outreach, and advocacy work include: 

• Interpretation is social. The meaning people attach to information depends on the mix of social groups to which they belong. Information initiatives rooted in or targeted at existing social groups can be successful. Leaders and authority figures can have a major effect on how information is interpreted and framed.

• Reinterpretation is power. Empowerment at scale depends on encouraging collective, conversation-based reinterpretation. Reframing the present circumstances as an injustice to be righted rather than a misfortune can help create wider movements that go beyond empowering people one by one.

• Vivid narratives persuade. Using vivid and emotional narratives and explanation to describe experiences can persuade people to interpret events and information differently. This dynamic can both unite and polarize social groups.

• Incentives and repetition cement new behaviors. Incentives can spark new behaviors, and practice; repetition helps make behavior change stick. Persistence is critical. When support is removed, desired behavior change slows or stops (and sometimes even reverses).