So you want to gently swing the odds in your favor, mess with your friends or just be thought of better. How do you go about doing that? With these 20 awesome psychological mind tricks, of course!
20 Awesome Psychological Mind Tricks Everyone Should Know
- Paternal Wisdom. Want someone to take you seriously when you give advice? Tell them it was advice given to you by your father. People tend to add more weight to parental guidance.
- Conversation Conditioner. During conversations, when a person say’s a certain word, perform a certain action. It could be a nod, a smile or some other positive gesture. Pretty soon they will be saying that word more, looking for the positive response. Great for conditioning people to give you what you want.
- Rock, Paper, Scissors. Just before you start, ask the other person a question, then go straight into rock, paper, scissors. They will almost definitely use scissors, allowing you to win.Use this trick to win often. Especially useful if you are using the game to decide something you want.
- Love And Logic. So you want your child to eat their vegetables, right? Give them a choice of two pieces or five. This way, they feel they made the choice and controlled the amount they have to eat. This can be applied to so many situations.
- Talk And Give. Want someone to carry something for you? Don’t ask them. Just hand it to them as you continue talking to them.
- Talk And Walk. Similarly, do you have an annoying colleague that’s always bothering you at your desk. When they come over, simple stand up and walk them back over to their desk as you chat.
- Path Finding. In crowded areas, keep your eyes on the area you are walking to. People look at each others eyes as a clue to where they are headed and tend to try to get out of the way.
- Stalker Alert. Not really for stalkers but more for when you think someone is watching you. If you want to be sure, yawn and then glance at them. If they start yawning, you caught them.
- Nodding Dog. As you ask a question that you want a yes answer to, nod your head. The person you are asking will work off your social clues and will be much more likely to say yes.
- Song Stuck. That annoying song you have stuck in your head? Sing it all the way to the end. Doing this allows you to “close the loop”.
- Build Relationships. When you first meet someone, make yourself friendly. Mimic their actions and make sure your handshake is warm. They will associate you with positivity and be happy to see you from then on.
- Pack Rat. Think someone is going to have a go at you in a meeting? Sit next to them. Doing so will make them tone it down.
- Information Gathering. Do you need to get information from someone? Ask them a question and if the answer is not a full one, stay silent. Look at them and smile as you wait expectantly. They will feel the need to fill in the silence and give you a better answer.
- Favor For A Favor. Need someone to do something for you? Make sure you do them a favor first. It will be much harder for them to turn you down.
- Over Confident Co-Workers. It has been shown that you can make people insecure by looking at their hairline as you speak to them. A handy trick to bring people back down when needed.
- Group Laughs. When you’re in a group of people and someone makes a joke, watch who people look at. In this situation, we all instinctively look at the person we feel closest to.
- Favor For A Favor Part 2. Want someone to like you more? Ask them to do you a favor. It has been shown that people who do you favors will like you more. This works because they rationalise that since they did you a favor, they must be fond of you.
- Call It By Any Other Name. Want someone to treat you a certain way? You can help this along by the name you call them. For instance, if you want someone to be friendly with you, call them by a friendly name. If you want a more professional relationship, you can also use this to your advantage by calling them by their title.
- Don’t Correct People. When someone is wrong, keep quiet. It usually won’t matter and by correcting them, you create negativity and a bad impression. However, if the situation needs you to speak up, start by asking them about their answer. Foster a conversation and bring them around with reason.
- Remember Me. Our memories are fickle things. We tend to remember the beginning and end of something, while the middle is a blur. Ensure you make great impressions by never being in the middle. Meeting someone new in a group, get there first or last. Same with work meetings, go first or last. Job Interview? Same technique applies (although early is probably best on this one!).