Real‑world examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making

Everyday examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making

Before you design a project, it helps to start with real‑world stories. Some of the best examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making come from situations students see every day.

Think about a student who normally refuses to cheat. Alone, they follow the rules. But when a whole row of classmates whispers answers during a test, that same student might quietly join in. The decision didn’t suddenly become “right”; it just became socially safer. This is a classic example of peer pressure overriding personal values.

Another everyday situation: a group of friends is choosing what to do after school. One person wants to go home and study, but everyone else pushes for a risky stunt for social media—maybe climbing a off‑limits structure or doing a dangerous challenge. Even if that person is scared, they might go along to avoid being labeled “boring” or “scared.” Their risk calculation changes because the group is watching.

These everyday examples of examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making show up in subtle ways too: laughing at a joke you don’t actually find funny, pretending to understand a topic you don’t, or agreeing with a political opinion you’re not sure about. Each small choice is a data point you can study.

School and academic integrity: examples of peer pressure changing moral decisions

Some of the clearest examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making show up in schoolwork and academic honesty.

Picture this: a teacher steps out of the room during a quiz. One student quietly checks their notes. Another joins in. Within minutes, most of the class is whispering and sharing answers. A student who would never cheat alone now faces a new reality: not cheating feels like standing out. The group’s behavior becomes the new “normal.”

For a science fair project, you could simulate this in an ethical way. You might:

• Give students a challenging puzzle and tell them they get a reward for a high score.
• Plant a few trained peers (confederates) who openly suggest sharing answers or looking up solutions.
• Compare decisions in groups where no one suggests cheating versus groups where several peers normalize it.

Research backs this up. Studies on academic dishonesty show that students are more likely to cheat when they believe “everyone else is doing it.” A large survey from the Josephson Institute (a character education organization) has repeatedly found that perceived norms strongly predict cheating rates among high school students.

In other words, examples include not just direct pressure ("Come on, help us cheat") but also indirect pressure, like overhearing others brag about cheating and getting away with it. Both can change what feels acceptable.

Risk‑taking and safety: peer pressure and dangerous decisions

Some of the most dramatic examples of examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making involve risk and safety—driving, substance use, and physical stunts.

One widely cited line of research shows that teenagers take more risks when they know their friends are watching. In a driving simulation study, adolescents took more dangerous risks at intersections when peers were present, compared with when they were alone. The presence of friends changed their cost‑benefit analysis: the social reward of looking brave outweighed the safety risk.

Real examples include:

• A teen who normally wears a seat belt but takes it off because friends tease them for being “too careful.”
• A student who tries vaping or alcohol for the first time at a party because everyone else is doing it and they don’t want to be excluded.
• A sports team member who hides a possible concussion symptom because teammates expect them to “push through.”

For a project, you can’t ethically put people in real danger, but you can simulate risk decisions using hypothetical scenarios or computer tasks. For instance, you might have participants play a simple risk game (such as choosing between safe and risky points) either alone or while seeing fake “peer choices” on the screen. If their decisions become more extreme when they see peers taking risks, that’s a measurable example of the effect of peer pressure on decision making.

Public health organizations like the CDC and NIH have extensive data on how peer norms relate to teen substance use and risky behavior, which you can cite in your background section.

Social media and online behavior: modern examples include likes, comments, and trends

If you want 2024‑relevant examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making, social media is a gold mine. The pressure is no longer just face‑to‑face; it’s also digital.

Consider how people decide what to post. A student might:

• Delete a photo they actually like because it doesn’t get enough likes fast enough.
• Join in on an online challenge—even a mildly dangerous one—because everyone in their friend group is doing it.
• Share a questionable news story because it already has thousands of likes and comments, assuming it must be true or acceptable.

Psychology experiments have shown that people rate photos, comments, or even moral statements more positively when they see that others have already upvoted them. The crowd’s reaction becomes a shortcut for decision making.

For a science fair project, you could create a mock social media feed and randomly assign participants to see posts with either high or low “likes” from peers. Then you can measure:

• Which posts they say they would like or share.
• How risky or acceptable they judge each post to be.

If high “likes” make people more willing to endorse a post they would normally reject, that’s another clear example of the effect of peer pressure on decision making in an online context.

Health, fitness, and food: subtle peer pressure on lifestyle choices

Not all peer pressure is negative. Some of the best examples of peer influence actually push people toward healthier decisions.

Positive examples include:

• A group of friends who start going to the gym together. A student who would never exercise alone now goes regularly because it’s a social activity.
• A lunch group that chooses salads and water instead of fries and soda. A student who usually picks the less healthy option goes along with the group choice.
• A class that starts a step‑count or walking challenge. Students walk more because their peers are sharing progress and cheering each other on.

Negative examples include:

• Friends encouraging each other to skip meals to “look better” in photos.
• Teammates pressuring someone to play through pain instead of seeing a doctor.

Health organizations like Mayo Clinic and CDC discuss how social support and social norms affect health behaviors. These sources can strengthen the background research in your project.

To turn this into an experiment, you might:

• Present participants with menu choices while telling them what “most students choose.”
• See whether they change their order to match the supposed group norm.

If you find they consistently follow the “popular” choice, you’ve just created your own data‑driven example of the effect of peer pressure on decision making around health.

Money, spending, and investing: peer influence on financial decisions

Money might not be the first thing you think of, but modern examples of examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making show up in spending and investing too.

Some real examples include:

• A student buying expensive shoes or a new phone mainly because everyone else in their friend group has them, even though it strains their budget.
• Teens or young adults investing in a trendy stock or cryptocurrency because their friends are hyping it in group chats, not because they understand the risks.
• Friends pressuring each other to spend more on outings—concerts, restaurants, or trips—than they can comfortably afford.

In recent years, social investing platforms and viral trends (like “meme stocks”) have amplified this effect. People see screenshots of big wins shared online and feel pressure to copy those risky decisions.

You could model this in a project by giving participants a pretend budget and a set of choices (save, spend conservatively, or spend on flashy items). Then you can:

• Show some participants fake peer data indicating most others chose the flashy option.
• Compare their choices to a control group that sees no peer information.

If the “peer data” nudges them toward more impulsive spending, that’s a clean example of peer pressure affecting financial decision making.

Group projects and conformity: when going along feels easier than speaking up

Group work is a classic setting for studying examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making. Even when people have the right answer, they often go along with the group to avoid conflict.

Psychology has a famous tradition of research on this, starting with Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments. In those studies, people often agreed with a group’s obviously wrong answer about line lengths, just to avoid standing out. Modern classroom versions can be adapted ethically.

Real examples include:

• A student who thinks a group’s answer in a science project is wrong but stays quiet because everyone else seems confident.
• Group members agreeing to a poor project idea because they don’t want to be seen as difficult.
• A student changing their vote in a class poll after hearing that “almost everyone else” chose a different option.

For a project, you might present a simple visual or logic problem to small groups. In some groups, you plant a few peers to confidently give the wrong answer. Then measure how often the remaining students go along with the incorrect group versus when they answer privately.

This gives you direct, measurable examples of examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making in a collaborative setting.

Turning these real examples into a strong science fair project

Now that you’ve seen several real examples, the next step is turning them into a testable idea. Most strong psychology projects on peer pressure follow a simple pattern:

• Define a decision you want to study (cheating, risk‑taking, food choice, posting online, spending money).
• Create two conditions: one where participants decide alone, and one where they see or hear what “peers” supposedly chose.
• Measure the difference in decisions between those conditions.

When you write your report, you can organize your background section around the best examples from this page:

• Academic integrity and cheating
• Risk‑taking and safety
• Social media behavior
• Health and lifestyle
• Money and spending
• Group projects and conformity

Cite a few authoritative sources, such as:

• CDC – Teen and school health for data on peer influence and risky behaviors.
• NIH – National Institute on Drug Abuse for research on peer pressure and substance use.
• University psychology departments (for example, search on harvard.edu for “conformity” or “peer influence” studies).

By linking your experiment to these real‑world examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making, you’re not just running a classroom activity—you’re connecting your project to a long line of serious research.

FAQ: common questions about peer pressure examples

Q: What are some simple classroom‑friendly examples of peer pressure on decision making?
Some of the easiest to test are choosing answers on a worksheet after hearing what “most students picked,” selecting snacks after being told what others chose, or rating social media posts that show different numbers of likes. These are safe, realistic examples of how peer pressure shifts everyday choices.

Q: Can you give an example of positive peer pressure in a science fair project?
Yes. You could tell one group of students that “most people in your grade” choose a healthy snack or walk instead of taking the elevator, then see if that information nudges them toward the healthier choice. If it does, you’ve shown a positive example of the effect of peer pressure on decision making.

Q: Do online likes and comments really count as peer pressure?
They do. When people change what they post, like, or share based on visible reactions from others, that’s a form of social pressure. Experiments have shown that high like counts can make people rate content as more acceptable or trustworthy, which is a modern example of peer influence.

Q: Are teens more affected by these examples than adults?
Research suggests that adolescents are especially sensitive to peer approval and social status, so many examples of the effect of peer pressure on decision making are stronger in teenage groups. However, adults are not immune—social norms and group expectations still shape their choices at work, in families, and online.

Q: How can I keep my peer pressure experiment ethical?
Avoid putting anyone in real danger or embarrassing situations. Use hypothetical or low‑stakes decisions (puzzles, snack choices, ratings of posts), debrief participants afterward, and make sure they know they can opt out. Focus on observing how information about others’ choices affects decisions, not on shaming anyone for being influenced.