As much as we like to think our minds are steel traps, able to resist any trickery, evidence would suggest that for the most part, we can all be fooled with some basic tricks. That being said, we do at least have the benefit of recognizing patterns, so it can be helpful to at least learn what sort of strategies are out there.
Netizens asked the internet to share the best psychological tricks and hacks they know and people delivered. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to detail your own thoughts, stories and examples in the comments section down below. Or don’t, it’s up to you.
#1
I worked in fast food. My manager told me to always ask if they wanted a shake instead of a soda for $1 more or something. But he said always nod yes when you are asking. It was crazy how it actually worked I would go a day without nodding and then a day with. People fall for the suggestion of it all so now I always nod yes when I suggest things I want.
Image credits: Good_Apolllo
#2
If you act really excited every time you see someone they will eventually start to get really excited every time they see you without realizing why.
Image credits: darfle
#3
The power of silence in conversation. Get comfortable with pauses in conversation and try to let the other person struggle to come up with ways to fill the void. It throws most people off their game and puts you in charge of the conversation.
Image credits: BilliDama
#4
Whenever I feel like someone doesn’t like me in the office I will always ask them questions that I already know the answers to. they will explain them to me and I’ll say thanks and smile. It’s not much but I swear they change how they feel about me.
Image credits: Ashenlarry
#5
Working with kids, if I can’t get them to do something, I’ll give them the choice to do it themselves or have me help them. Either way the task gets done without them realizing I still got them to do what I wanted them to!
Image credits: anon
#6
When playing rock, paper, scissors, ask the person what color shirt they’re wearing right before you play. Most of the time they’ll choose scissors subconsciously.
Image credits: anon
#7
When working on group projects, if you want someone else in the group to do something, instead of saying “Can you do this” simply say “Can you start on this.” This makes it sound like less work and they will be more willing to do it. Halfway through, tell them “good job, keep going” and they’ll probably finish it. Very useful for lab reports.
Image credits: wAvyT
#8
If you want an answer to something, make an incorrect statement about it rather than asking a question. People love to correct inaccuracies.
Image credits: hastur77
#9
The quickest way to get your husband/boyfriend to finally do that thing you’ve been nagging him to do for 6 months is to start doing it yourself and f*****g it up spectacularly.
Insist that you can do it yourself without help while asking “Is that thingy is supposed to come off the other thingy or is it broken?”.
Image credits: __WanderLust_
#10
Everyone is happier after a high five. Office a little somber today? Walk around giving out high fives. Instant joviality. Then use some hand sanitizer, because hands are filthy.
Image credits: Im_A_Boozehound
#11
I learned this in Spain because the city I was living in at the time had a lot of people doing this. When you are walking and someone is coming towards you, just look the other way. Most of the time the other person will move instinctually. I have tried this in crowds and it usually works unless the other person is not paying attention.
Image credits: thebigtwig
#12
When having a persuasive argument with someone, you can always get yourself out of a pickle by asking them to clarify what they mean.
For example, if they ask you a difficult question, try asking what they mean by the words they used. This dissects it down to really easy talking points and is completely inoffensive. If they make a statement to you, ask what they mean by it. Most of the time people jump at the opportunity to explain their ideas and in doing so analyze them to such an extent that they start to discover the flaws in their own line of thinking. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Image credits: LukeTheGeek
#13
When you want people to behave certain way with you just praise them when they do it. Let’s say Larry just got you a fork because he noticed you needed one even though you didn’t ask, then you say something like “Thanks Larry, you’re very considerate” Larry will try to be more considerate when you’re around him. I’ve tried this and it works most of the time.
Image credits: hygsi
#14
I usually only use this on those pesky types of people. If they ask me to do something I don’t want to do, I just say “No.” or “Sorry, I can’t” and just leave it at that, instead of launching into a big explanation of why I can’t do that. If you explain, they have a tendency to try to convince you to still do it, because oftentimes explanations make it seem like it’s open to debate. But a good “Sorry, I can’t.” just leaves it at that, and doesn’t give much leeway for negotiation. Plus, usually most people expect an explanation so it throws them off balance when you don’t give them one. I read this in an old magazine once, and gave it a try. Seems to work.
Of course use sense. It’s more for the jerk that wants to borrow $50.00 when they never paid back the $20.00 they owe you from before, but not a good thing to use if your boss asks you to do a project or something.
Image credits: lilyvale
#15
I take public notes in project meetings I attend or lead so that everyone can see what we’ve talked about. I also publicly write down summarized to-dos for the next meeting and write names next to them. For example “we talked about how we are going to handle x. Jeremy said he would follow up with John.” When we start the next meeting I copy this list to the new meeting agenda to talk about. Projects get done like they’ve never gotten done before. The psychological part is that public goal setting increases likelihood of goal completion, and in my case, even when the person doesn’t really want to do the task.
Image credits: data_wombat
#16
If you’re practising a physical game like bowling, try visualising the entire motion a few times in your mind before you do it. See yourself bowling the ball and imagine the ball releasing from your hand and rolling down to knock down all the pins for a strike.
Once you have that full vision clear in your mind, go ahead and bowl the ball as you have imagined.
Apparently gymnasts use the technique to learn new moves.
Image credits: anon
#17
I work in a restaurant.
People often complain that the air conditioning is too cold. I tell them, oh I’m sorry, I’ll go see what I can do.
Return and tell them the manager bumped it up a few degrees, does it feel any better?
9 times out of 10 they say yes, it’s better.
It’s a giant sports bar. It’s been four minutes. There’s no way you’d be able to tell a difference. Also, I never told a manager and we never adjusted the temp at all. Power of suggestion.
Image credits: tanzabonanza
#18
One I use all the time in meetings to get my own way is to say “Well, I really like
Half the people will immediately agree with you because they’re afraid of criticizing the Boss’s idea, and I’ve yet to meet a manager who won’t take credit for an idea everyone likes.
Best used sparingly towards the end of long meetings.
Image credits: anon
#19
The puppeteer game. If you’re in someone’s view, but they aren’t looking at you, start copying their movements. After a few minutes, you can then initiate movements and they’ll copy you. Cross or uncross legs, play with hair, etc.
Image credits: MeatAndBourbon
#20
Not sure if this counts as a psychological trick, but have you ever been going about your day and then suddenly had that horrible thought cross your mind: “Did I remember to turn the stove off?” “Did I lock my front door?” “Did I close my garage?” OF COURSE YOU HAVE. For me it’s closing the garage door. I’ve come home on more than one occasion to find my garage wide open, all of my possessions available for someone to just walk up to and take (thankfully I was never robbed). Then I read about this technique called “Pointing and calling” that Japanese train station workers use to reduce the number of errors they make. It involves pointing to the thing you are checking, and saying something out loud. So when I back out of the garage I press the button on the remote, watch it close completely, then I point to it and say “Garage closed”. This does two things – it helps solidify the memory of watching the garage door close, so I won’t have to remember later on if I remembered to close it (I’ve heard of some people even taking pictures of the door closed, so that they can look at their phone later and verify that they did it. Pointing and calling is sufficient for me). Secondly, it helps in that very moment by making you double check (pointing) and triple check (calling) so that you won’t make a mistake in the first place.
Image credits: BionicleGarden
#21
Confidently showing someone something. You can get through many ticket barriers by just showing an old or wrong ticket with a smile.
Image credits: Milo_Hackenschmidt
#22
Smile when you walk around the office/yard/whatever. People either think you are some kind of maniac and leave you alone (good) or they smile back and make your day.
Also I don’t know if that’s true but I heard that if you smile your brain sets different hormones free that make you feel better. I definitely feel better just smiling walking around. If it’s placebo I don’t care.
My best example is how I met my boss when he just came out of a meeting which must have went horribly. He was really angry. I just stood my ground and kept smiling while simply greeting him. He loosened up visibly and greeted me back without a single bit of anger in his voice. I guess after having to deal with tough a*shats for hours on end he was glad to see someone that doesn’t want to take it out on him and was just being genuinely friendly. After all your boss is just a human being, too. I digress, but once I have realized and accepted that it stopped being scary talking to superiors.
Image credits: anon
#23
If someone is being a s**t to you, tell them they have something in their teeth. they’ll obsess about it, at least for a minute, and you have the upper hand again.
Image credits: cubs_070816
#24
Asking “would you kindly?” after every suggestion.
Image credits: BookerDeWittsCarbine
#25
If you’re trying to go through a crowd of people and nobody’s moving, start dry heaving like you are about to throw up. Everyone will walk away from you.
Image credits: Secretdoggo
#26
If someone has hiccups just tell them to try to hiccup and they can’t and it’ll end it. Also works on self!
Image credits: Wixou
#27
When someone does me a favor at work, I thank them, and note the extra effort in an email, and copy their boss.
Now when something goes sideways, it’s easy to get the extra help from people because they know the effort will be appreciated and noted.
So easy…so often not done.
Image credits: Steam-Crow
#28
Work in a Cinema. Am ranked 11th in upselling in the entire company (though coworker of mine is number 10).
One trick most people do to try and get a customer to buy a large item is to always ask “Is that a large?” rather than “What size would you like?” or “Is that regular or a large?”.
People hate saying no and want to say yes just out of politeness.
I however always just ask, in a questioning tone “Large?”. Comes out like a command but is still a suggestion. Seems to work better than the standard tactic.
Image credits: anon
#29
If someone says something mean, act like it got to you, even if it didn’t. They almost always regret it, even if they don’t show it. This assumes they’re not an a*s hole at the core of course, then you just need to get away from them.
Image credits: Night_Guest
#30
Never ask yes or no questions if you’re trying to get someone to do something. For work, if I need to schedule a meeting with a client I never ask “Do you want to meet on Tuesday?”. It’s always, “I have time on Tuesday at 10am or 1pm, what works better for you?” This can work for your kids too if you’re trying to get them to do chores. “Do you want to take the garbage out or clean the living room?” Never “Do you want to take the garbage out?”
There’s something about giving them the power to choose that works.
Image credits: SuPeRfLyKiD3
#31
If you can see someone on the street in the corner of your vision who’s about to approach you to ask for change, try to sell you something etc try this: pretend as if there’s something caught in your teeth and use your nail to work it out. Use this quick opportunity to show as much canine as you can while contorting your face into a very angry and animalistic expression.
They’ll immediately back off. 75% of the time.
#32
Any sort of customer service call you make, particularly if you’re angry or frustrated – when they answer remember or write down their name then use their name during the rest of the call.
Now couch the tone of the problem in a friendly tone of voice; “Ive got this problem I hope you can help me with, you guys being the experts on this stuff.”
So instead of being angry, customer is always right attitude making the rep go on the defensive, you instead make them feel that you are coming to them for what you expect is their expert knowledge.
So describe your issue and throw on there a comment like “I might have done something wrong ” and again appeal to their ego building them up as the one with the knowhow. Again using their name occasionally.
I don’t feel this is manipulative, people want to be respected they want to appear competent and they want to be helpful. Set the stage for them to deal with you that way.
I have had customer service reps bend over backwards to help resolve my issue; I’ve gotten replacement products next day shipping, refunds and credits, and one rep even TELL their manager this customer needs manager authorization the fix the problem now.
Otherwise, if you call customer reps and light into them with a angry tone and accusatory manner, they’re going to dig in their heels and give you the crappy service they think you deserve.
#33
I dont know it this is really psychological, but its interesting. If you ever see someone check their watch/phone for the time, wait a few seconds and ask them what time it is. 9 times out of ten they will check again.
#34
If you want to walk through a crowd quickly, just stare straight ahead and don’t falter or look at the floor. People will go out of their way to avoid you.
#35
Simple positive reinforcement works wonders, and I see people ignore it all the time. If somebody does something you like, find a way to “reward” it. I don’t mean give them something, just say something nice, touch them lightly, smile at them, whatever.
Most of you probably think this is obvious and natural, but I see people all the time neglect to show any sort of appreciation for favors and the like. There’s a reason you were taught to say “thank you,” people.
#36
Getting someone to do you a small favor makes them like you more.
#37
If in a situation where you are trying to get someone to like you as a person, such as an interview, date, etc. Mimic their body language. (e.g. they have one hand in their lap and the other hand is under their chin with their head resting on it, with their legs crossed, you may sit the same way they are positioned. It subliminally causes them to like you better.) NOTE: this will not work unless you are also making good conversation with them and appearing to be genuinely interested in what they have to say to you.
#38
In golf, I like to ask my opponents “Do you inhale or exhale when you swing?” and it f***s with their head.
#39
I force myself not to cross my arms or legs when I start to feel nervous. I always try to use open and confident body language to feel more confident.
#40
When walking somewhere with someone, pick something up. Bonus points if it’s something as random as a rock or a leaf. Play with it while the conversation with your co-walker goes on. Inmidst the conversation, without making any deal out of it and without stopping the conversation, hand them said thing.
They’ll keep it.
#41
I can get an auditorium full of high school or university students to almost immediately quiet down without uttering a word.
I just start mouthing like I’m talking and gesturing without making a sound. It has never failed to bring 500+ people to absolute silence within 30 seconds as everyone tries to figure out what I’m doing.
When you can hear a pin drop, I cease my antics, pick up the mic, say thanks, and get on with the meeting, ceremony, presentation, etc.
#42
I like to condition people, usually friends. It sounds evil but really it’s mostly innocent. With one roommate I would light a specific candle every time we had a cigarette together for a month. After that month, every time I lit the candle she would want a ciggie.
I also like to condition people with candy. In a restaurant I worked at I would take gummy bears in for everyone on each shift. I stopped after a month and people would get really angry that they didn’t get their gummy bears.
#43
If I want to see if someone I’m interested in is staring at me when I’m not looking, I’ll yawn and then check to see if they do too.
#44
The classic “oh, I’ve heard that before, it must be right,” when they don’t remember they had heard it from the same person.
#45
Saying “but you’re free to refuse” tends to get the result you want when asking someone to do something. I actually saw this here on Reddit months ago, and tried it during my work days… I certainly got what I wanted because of it.
#46
“Let’s flip a coin.”
*take out coin.
“Alright, heads I win, tails you lose?”
Don’t give them time to think, they heard heads and tails, win and lose, but don’t immediately think about which one was attached to which. Flip, show it to them, and say exactly what you said, “heads, I win,” or “tails, you lose.”.
#47
This one always worked for me, either with the “popular group” I was working with or if I want attention from someone specific.
Just stop trying. Don’t give them attention. When you see them, act aloof. If this person has become accustomed to people always giving them attention and then you stop doing that, they will go out of their way to get your attention back on them again.
And then you have the upper hand!
#48
Completely ignoring personal attacks to calm down a situation.
Customer immediately upon me answering the phone “You stupid mother f*****s screwed this s**t up again i want to talk to the president dont give me any more f*****g excuses blah blah blah”
I reapond as if he just said hello in the most friendly way “ok let’s take a look at your account and I’ll get this fixed, can I have your account number please?”
Although my ultimate favorite is making the non-committal “mmmm” sound in response to someone saying something crazy they want you to agree with. Like the customer says: “you know you’re f*****g stealing my money” me: “mmm”. They hear the sound as agreement, or at least as not disagreeing and they move on to their next sentence. When in fact all I did was move the conversation another step forward.
#49
If you really want an answer, instead of asking a question just pose an answer you already know is wrong. This works especially well with arrogant people who rarely like answering questions, but love showing everyone how smart they are.
“Mr. Senior Developer, how do I make an animated busy loader?” … “Dude you have google just go find it.”
“Mr. Senior Developer, I heard that the best way to make an animated busy loader is to use an animated .gif” … “No way. That uses unnecessary bandwidth, causes you to have additional files to maintain in your assets and is low quality. All modern browsers support CSS3 animation and can do this type of loader natively without additional clunky mechanisms or files to maintain. And BTW, it’s pronounced .gif”.
#50
When standing in a circle of people, look at where people’s feet are pointed. That’s who they’re the most interested in.
#51
If you are in a bar or at a social gathering. Hold your drink down by your waist instead of up by your chest. You will look more confident and alpha in the group.
#52
I talk to cows. I don’t know what I’m saying but I always get a response. Every. Single. Time. (50+ years now)
One time I was jogging down a road next to a pasture and started my cow-speak. Within seconds, I had a whole heard of cows jogging along with me on their side of the fence. When they came to the end of their pasture, they huddled in this forlorn-looking group, moo’ed and even bellowed at me like I was their last friend to leave them (as I continued my jog).
Apparently, I have a very convincing MOO. Maybe it’s not really cow psychology. Just good language skills.
#53
The best way to make someone not like doing something they once loved is to reward them for doing it, and then cut them off from the reward.
#54
I work with kids and whenever they say they can’t think of something or can’t explain something I do this. Basically just pause for a second then ask “Well if you COULD explain it (think of it, or whatever), what would it be” or something along those lines. Half the time they sit and think for a moment and then come up with an answer.
#55
Compliment people genuinely, as often as you can.
Some people go months or years without being complimented, so even ‘I like your shirt!’ or ‘That jacket looks great on you’ or ‘Your hair looks nice’ can brighten someone’s day and improve their mood 300%.
Very low effort, high reward.
Plus if you’re on the look out for nice things to say to people, it’s easier to smile and seem like a nice + friendly person on reflex.
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