The human mind is a complex thing, but in certain instances, it can also be very simple. Over the years, people have discovered little tricks to sway the people around you in any direction you choose, and today, those tricks are being shared.
It began with a Reddit post asking people to share psychological tricks they like to use, and people were all too happy to share.
Open mind, open mouth.
“Whenever someone is showing you around or demonstrating something to you, open your mouth ever so slightly. Doesn’t have to be much, barely a centimeter is enough. It makes you look intrigued and fascinated by whatever it is you’re been shown.”
All on you.
“Listening to someone without giving advice or pushing for more information typically nets me more information than being pushy for it,” wrote one person.
In a reply, someone else elaborated on this concept, “That’s called therapeutic communication in the mental health field. You never give your input or talk about yourself. You concentrate on how someone is feeling. Utilize the shared silence, let them fill it not you. Avoid who, what, why, where, and how.”
One into the other.
A nice piece of advice for sweet, genuine photos came from one person who wrote, “[Tell] people to fake laugh for a photo. Then wait for the real laugh because they feel silly fake laughing.”
Above and beyond.
“Under promising and over delivering at work.”
Another user replied with the actual name of this concept, “This is called sandbagging! I only know this [term] because one of my freelance clients always rails against this concept, saying we can’t possibly achieve [excellence] unless we ‘shoot for the moon.’ Meanwhile I love sandbagging.”
Twisting your own words.
“I’ve noticed that people will let me do kind things for them if they think I’m doing it for selfish reasons. ‘No, let me cook for you! I need to practice making this dish!'”
Move along.
“Walking towards someone, look where you want to go and they’ll move away. But more likely they will move to their right.”
Though note the second half only works in countries where people drive on the right side of the road. In left-driving countries, people are more likely to move to the left.
Less is more.
“You really don’t have to add much to be part of a conversation. Just occasionally repeating part of the other person’s sentences as a question can be more than enough to continue their momentum.”
More than enough.
Almost the opposite of the last piece of advice, this trick helps stop conversations in their tracks.
“When you’re annoyed with someone just agree. Doesn’t matter what [they’re] saying, just agree. They run out of steam quick when you don’t fuel the fire.”
Let them let it out.
“[…] you can de-escalate a lot of situations if you just acknowledge that the other person’s emotions are valid. Won’t totally fix everything, but it works way better than telling them to calm down or that there’s no reason to get so mad. That’s just going to piss them off worse and make them dig their heels in.”
Get right to it.
“When asking a stranger for help, just cut right to the chase with your question/request, then exchange some pleasantries after. What people tend to do usually is ‘Hi, how are you doing, I’m so-and-so, hey can I ask you for…’
“It makes the introduction seem less genuine, like it was only to ease your way into something you want/need. Switching the order makes you come across more honest, and then shows you’re actually interested in getting to know them or talking to them past whatever favor [they’re] doing for you.”
Friendly greetings.
“I always smile when I see/approach/get approached by anyone so they immediately think I’m happy to see them- Makes me a lot of friends and helps conversations start better too!”
A smile can go a long way, even in the smallest of interactions!
Pick a number.
“I ask ‘if you had to pick a number from one to ten, it would be an…’ and wait for them to answer. They say eight 95% of the time because ‘an’ triggers them to look for vowel sounds and eight is the only option. Then I hand them my business card with ‘you picked eight’ printed on it.”
While it’s a niche trick, it’s also pretty neat, and surely the business card thing can be swapped out for anything.
Perfect mimicry.
“If you’re talking to somebody, mimic their facial reactions to the conversation. Smile when they do, crease your brow when they do, etc. You have to work to make it seem natural and not like you’re purposefully imitating them, but if you pull it off they’ll walk away thinking better of you than otherwise.”
Time to move on.
“[…] don’t try to defend your position when someone criticizes/gets mad/disagrees with you. Just shrug your shoulders and go on with your life.”
“Figured this out the hard way,” someone else replied, “Too many pointless arguments have wasted too much precious time.”
Pick and choose.
“If you’re always locked in the endless cycle of figuring out whats for dinner with your significant other, instead of asking them what they want, ask them to guess what we’re having. Whatever the answer is, tell them they were right and have that.”
The illusion of choice.
“The best way to get someone to do what you think they should is give them options. So they have x problem. List a bunch of dumbass solutions and the one you think is best.
“End it with ‘I personally like this one and would do it, but it’s your choice.’ 99% of the time they go with the one you wanted but are convinced they made the decision themselves.”
You’ll pay them back.
“Ask people for things they want to do/don’t mind doing as if they’re favours to you. As if you’ll owe them after this.”
They went on to list two reasons why this trick will net a positive interaction, saying that people like feeling useful and by wording it this way, you give them the opportunity to be nice.
Silence is golden.
“Sometimes staying silent in a negotiation works in your favor. Silence often feels uncomfortable so the other party will offer up something by filling the quiet space with words.
“I used it once to negotiate something with my boss. I stated my case. He hmm and ummed for a bit to himself. I remained silent and he relented. Had I filled that silence with more words it could’ve given him time to think of a way to say no.”
Burying the lede.
“I’m embarrassed to admit that I used to do this, but here it goes: Insert an embarrassing story when you tell a lie. People will have the tendency to believe your lie more.
“See what I did there?”