11 Fun Psychological Tricks to Bend the World in Your Favor
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In moments of escalating tension or increased intrigue, the ownership of strategic tools can prove to be a priceless advantage, with the potential to shift the balance in your favor. Whether you find yourself facing adversaries, navigating the intricate dynamics of office politics, or simply seeking to build new relationships, individuals frequently offer insights into their cherished psychological strategies for securing a favorable position.
1. Dealing with a Chronic Arguer
A man shares a genius trick for dealing with a man in his office named Brent, who is constantly arguing for the sake of arguing. He’s found a way to spin the situation around to leave Brent confused and silent. For example, Brent has been known for arguing about the start time of a meeting, wanting it changed from 3 to 3:15.
Now he says, “Brent and I were talking earlier, and I liked his idea of meeting at 3pm.” He reports that it works every time; great idea!
2. Be a Good Listener and a Better Friend
Most people love to talk about themselves. If you can ask the right questions and listen closely, people tend to feel comfortable around you and are more likely to like you and be your friend (if that’s the goal). People warn that this is a great tactic for making people like you, but it can make a relationship feel a little one-sided.
Someone shares, “I’ve done this a lot for various reasons – just letting people talk a lot about themselves and actively listening. You do become closer, learn a lot about them and they feel more like they can talk to you. But I realised they end up actually knowing very little about you and it’s difficult getting to that next stage in a relationship and things feel too one-sided.”
3. Getting People to the Point
A man shares a technique he used to get a colleague to wrap up a meeting as quickly as possible, rather than it being drawn out like it usually is. He writes, “I talked to the others in the meeting, and got them to all arrive early so all the seats were taken, except one. Then when he sat down, me and the person on his other side slowly scooted closer to him, until he was uncomfortable, but not so close as to be touching.”
4. Snacking to Diffuse Any Situation
Someone shares, “This is entirely anecdotal, but it’s worked for me for years: while walking through bad neighbourhoods, people seem less likely to bother you if you’re eating something. I think a lot of it has to do with appearing calm, but I’ve never had anyone give me a hard time while I’m munching on an apple or banana our whatever. Much safer than fiddling with one’s smartphone, anyway.”
5. Make Someone Feel Like They Have a Choice
It’s always better to give people a choice rather than ordering them around. But, you can give them a choice that will subconsciously lead them to the “right answer. ” “When giving options, give a subtle nod to the option you want them to pick. “When giving options, give a subtle nod to the option you want them to pick,” shares someone.
6. Create a Bond with a Simple Gesture
Someone shares an easy way to break the ice without resorting to small talk, “People like you more if you ask them a small favor within the first day or so of meeting them. Like to borrow a pen or help fixing an uneven desk. It creates a bond.”
7. Call Out the Idiots
The things that come out of people’s mouths clearly weren’t well thought out. To combat this, give them a minute to actually think about their words by asking, “What do you mean?”
Someone writes, “I do this all of the time. Playing dumb is a useful tactic to get people to explain their half baked ideas so you can see how well they actually grasp what they’re talking about. It usually nicely opens the door for me to respond “Interesting you see it that way, but I don’t agree” after they give their answer. This is a nice way to help them realize that their way of thinking isn’t shared by everyone, which if they have any self awareness will help them think twice before saying that in the future.”
8. How to Get People to Elaborate
Want to keep a conversation going? Or get more information out of a person? Try this hack: “Repeat the last two or three words in a sentence somebody just spoke and they will usually expand upon that thought. This can help with conversations when you don’t know what to say exactly but you want to learn more about the other person.”
9. Dealing with Indecision
A husband has a great solution for his wife’s indecision. “Instead of asking my wife where she wants to eat out, I’ll ask her to guess where I’m taking her, then she’ll answer and that’s where I’ll take her.
She’s very indecisive, I believe this cuts through that like butter, and she’s loved it every time.”
10. Keep The Conversation Quiet
“Start whispering to someone for no reason. Almost all people will start whispering back automatically,” shares someone. This is great for quieting a loud person, especially if you don’t want others to hear your conversation or there’s a sleeping baby in the house.
11. Be Kind
In the end, being kind and respectful will always get you further than being a jerk or grumpy.
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