Speaking of Psychology Catching fire: What goes viral and why? With Jonah Berger, PhD
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Feb 25, 2026 
Jonah Berger, Wharton professor and best-selling author on why ideas spread, talks about what makes things contagious. He outlines the STEPS drivers like social currency, triggers, emotion, public cues, practical value, and stories. He explains high-arousal emotions, online vs offline sharing, triggers that make things top of mind, and ways to combat misinformation by making truth more shareable.
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STEPS Framework Explains Why Things Spread
- Sharing follows predictable psychological drivers summarized by the STEPS framework.
- Jonah Berger analyzed thousands of items and found six repeatable drivers: Social currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical value, Stories.
Secret Bar Please Don't Tell Creates Buzz
- Please Don't Tell hid its entrance inside a hot dog restaurant and used a phone booth to create a secret, driving demand.
- The secrecy gave patrons social currency: having insider access made them eager to tell others and boosted demand despite no external signage.
People Share To Gain Social Currency
- People share what makes them look good because social currency motivates transmission.
- Examples include boasting about travel, frequent flyer status, or limited-edition items to appear informed or special.
