Human Behaviors in Groups - Essay Example

There should be some understanding of politics and religion at some point because are important aspects of life that influence and shape people’s actions and thoughts.

            Sociology is an important study because human beings are known to be social beings. Therefore, no one can isolate him/herself from others so it is important to understand how human beings function. First, sociology will help an individual understand himself which would be beneficiary for him in understanding other people as well. Accordingly, sociology also helps a person relate peacefully and productively with other people. In addition, needs will be discovered and met as people learn what is available in one group and what is absent in another. It leads to the discovery of other cultures as well, avoiding culture shock (Berger) by being educated about social behaviors. Human behaviors should not simply be judged as they are seen otherwise an individual is not inclined to sociology. As it is said, the sociological perspective is “seeing through” and “looking behind” (Berger).

            One of the benefits of sociology is related to commerce. People have needs and these are often met in businesses. The effect of sociology in trade can be exemplified by research on business companies. As mentioned earlier, sociology looks into the behaviors of humans and in doing this, companies can predict or even create the needs of consumers. For instance, when Procter and Gamble created the air freshener called Febreze, they expected big sales during its first release. However, their expectations were not met and they began to wonder what is wrong with their product as sales were quickly diminishing. The advertisement showed a woman spaying  Febreze on her clothes to get rid of smoke odor and another uses it on the couch to eliminate pet odor. For the company, the advertisement was completely perfect but the sales are showing something is wrong. Therefore, they engaged in several studies until they found out that housekeepers already have routines but one Febreze user mentioned that the air freshener serves as a reward for her cleaning routines. Therefore, Procter and Gamble changed its advertisement, showing Febreze as a reward after a job well done. Within a year, the product made Procter and Gamble $230 million richer (Duhigg).

            Sociology is not simply a study of human behaviors that will help them improve their relationships. It is also a study that can benefit other areas of study. Finding the reasons why a person acts the way he does may help in relationship building but it can also discover and create needs. In the case of Procter and Gamble, the company discovered that people do not mind the bad odor of their homes because they somehow get immune to the smell. However, they discovered that rewarding one’s self after completing a task is common for housekeepers. Therefore, instead of introducing their product as a revolutionary commodity, the company presented it to the consumers as a reward.