Social norms are people's beliefs about the attitudes and behaviors that are normal, acceptable, or even expected in a particular social context. In many situations, people's perception of social norms will greatly influence their behavior. Therefore, when people misperceive the norms of their group - that is, when they inaccurately think an attitude or behavior is more (or less) common than is actually the case - they may choose to engage in behaviors that are consistent with those false norms.