Hannah Riley
What are some cool psychological tricks you use on people to get what you want?
Many professions like servers and salespeople use tactics to get people to buy more just by making the demand seem higher than it really is, telling the customer how grateful they are, or even just nodding their head when making an offer.
Using psychological tricks on people isn’t usually seen as a nice thing to do. It’s sometimes seen as manipulating people.
People of Reddit are sharing the best and most effective psychological “trick” they use on people to get what they want. It’s not always nice, but it’s definitely effective.
Give some of these a shot if you’re bored.
1.
My 4-year-old got into the ‘Why?’ phase a little while back. I read an article that said the best way to get them to stop was to ask them, ‘I’m not sure, what do you think?’ It is a godsend. They answer their own question, you provide some feedback, and they immediately move on. [Freaking] awesome. – AD_Meridian
2.
To avoid workplace drama and be liked, compliment people behind their back. – Unknown
3.
When my wife is talking to a man about something technical, often he’ll talk back to me. When that happens I turn to face my wife, which forces his attention where it should be. – stangelm
4.
I work in an office. When people stop by my desk and refuse to leave me alone, I get up and refill my water bottle while they are talking to me. Instead of walking back to my desk, I walk them to theirs. They instinctively will sit down. Then I just sever the conversation and get back to work. – Electricpants
5.
Be direct and personal when you need things. Instead of asking IF anyone has an EpiPen, ask WHO has an EpiPen. Instead of saying, ‘Someone call 911,’ point to someone and say, ‘Go call 911 and come tell me when they are on the way. – Polyfkery
6.
If you look happy to see someone every time you see them, they will eventually be happy to see you. – 2pass2
7.
I currently manage around 240 people among six restaurants. It is often hard to get them to do what is needed. I have found that saying, ‘I need your help’ is effective in getting them on board. People want to feel needed and that they are making a difference. Expressing that need to them as much as possible makes all the difference in the world. – aaronmicook
8.
Don’t say “it’s okay” when someone apologizes. Say something like, “thank you for apologizing.”
if someone needs to apologize to you, then it was something that isn’t okay. my mom teaches this to her kindergartners and it really does make a difference. opens doors for growth and conversation too. “thank you for apologizing, I don’t like it when you hit me.” or whatever. – katiebugdisney
9.
Instead of asking, ‘Do you have any questions?’ I ask, ‘What questions do you have?’ The first almost always results in silence, while the second helps people feel comfortable asking questions. – MediocrePaladin
10.
When I do something bothersome to my husband and he goes quiet, I wait a few minutes and then ask him a seemingly innocent question, usually on the subject of how certain parts of a car works. This gets him talking about the car thing and he rambles for like five minutes, and then, bam! He’s happy again and not quietly brooding. I’ll never tell him I do this because I’m afraid it won’t work anymore if he knows about it. It’s foolproof, though; it works every single time, no matter how bothered he is. – alskdjfhgtk
11.
Don’t apologise. Thank them.
When you’re delivering food that’s taken a while to cook don’t say “sorry for the delay,” say “thanks for your patience”
Saying sorry focuses on your fault. Thanking focuses on their good quality. – Conchobar8
12.
Saying ‘You’re right!’ instead of ‘I know’ makes you look less like a [jerk] and doesn’t diminish something someone else may have just found out. – FantomUnicorn
13.
When somebody shy is speaking, if you look at them and nod your head, it encourages them to keep talking. – unknown
14.
On an airplane, if my seatmate is hogging the armrest or being too chatty, I grab the barf bag. Works every time. –ab82bank
15.
give kids 2 choices instead of letting them pick from whatever
you control.
could be 2 points of time. like “now” or in 10 minutes,
or do you want the red or the blue shirt on
things like that
works wonderfully. they feel in control, but have absolutely no control.
can work with some adults too. – ______-_-___
16.
If you need to deescalate someone and get them to communicate, ask them questions about numbers or personal information. I work in emergency services. If someone is totally distraught and shut down, asking their phone number, address, Social Security number, or birth date can pull them out of an emotional place and bring them back to a headspace where they can talk about what happened more easily. I often ask these questions even after I have the information, just to deescalate. – Orpheus91
17.
When I have something important to say to my kids, I say it very quietly so that they listen. They’re immune to my yelling, but whispering gets their attention. –LastUsernameAvail
18.
Heard it on reddit a while back and I am amazed at how well it works. You get some info out of the person that you can maybe relate to, or help with or share similar ideas/stories. – Shuski_Cross
19.
At this point it’s pretty well known, but Ive been using it for a few decades and has a special spot for me because I ‘came up with it’ (and was probably the 3 billionth person to ‘come up with it’).
Flip a coin if you cant decide something, and then follow whether or not you feel happy or disappointed with the result that it gives you. –Erudite_Delirium
20.
Put headphones in and play the music that fits your hoped-for mood. It shifts me over to it mentally. It really helps when I need to calm down or when I need to feel happier. – sunflowersfornudes
21.
When you are standing in a group and somebody tells a joke or something funny happens, people tend to look towards the person they like the most while laughing. – RiDDDiK1337
22.
I have a coworker who is an excessive talker. She has a heart of gold and means no harm whatsoever, but I don’t have time to listen to her stream of consciousness every day. Anytime she comes into my office to chat, I give her a minute to get the gist out, and then I stand and walk out of my office. She always follows and continues yammering, and we walk right back to her cubicle. Sometimes I’ll ditch her in the hallway under a guise of forgetting something at my desk. She hasnt noticed yet that I’ve been walking her back to her desk for months. – Tycho278
23.
Making people think that you need them is always better than asking them to simply do something for you.
i.e: instead of saying: “Can you do this for me?” you should say: “Listen I need you help; I can’t do this.”
Makes people feel good about themselves and even like you on a deeper level. –Doctor_Philly
24.
If you need to remember something, think about it while doing something noticeably unusual. This will pair the memory with the “something”, so that when it is noticed later on it will trigger that particular memory.
e.g. I need to take out the garbage before going to bed.
Put your pillow at the foot of your bed. – unknown
25.
If I desperately need to poo and I’m on my way to the bathroom (eg. driving home or walking to one) I’ll imagine it in my mind as being really far away. This stops the urgency and I find I can get there calmly 🙂 – Funny1sland
27.
If you’re trying to pick out dinner with your partner, rather than ask, ‘What do you want?’ and getting the typical ‘I don’t know, anything’ answer and then having suggestions shot down, start with, ‘What do you NOT want? Used it a few times in some of my relationships, and it’s the godsend question – FartKilometre
28.
Say hello to everybody you know, and say it with a smile. Just imagine: If someone walks into you twice a year and both times you smile and greet them enthusiastically, they will think of you as a nice person. So little effort for a person to find you friendly! –sjuulbakkie
29.
This is dumb and shouldn’t work. But I’m a bartender. And if I ask someone if they want another drink and nod my head at the same time most people are inclined to do it. – LeadDeathKnight
30.
If you hand something to someone they will take it. It’s a lot of fun. – surrrah
