10 Easiest psychological tricks you can play on someone

 

1. Leverage Selfishness

As you may well be aware by now, you are mostly selfish than you’re selfless. I would say probably 90% or more selfish than you’re selfless. Use that to your best advantage when trying to get something out of someone.

Praise someone, compliment them on the clothes they’re wearing, their shoes or the hair (especially if they’re ladies). Even if she’s the same age as your mother, she’ll probably like you. Works like a charm. Salesmen and marketers use it all the time.

Although this borders on manipulation, do it anyway, especially if you need something badly from the other person and it’s a matter of life and death.

2. Avoid Eye-Contact

Contrary to what you’ve been taught to maintain eye contact when talking to people face-to-face, avoid eye contact, especially if you want them to agree on something. The reason this hack works most of the time is because it doesn’t intimidate people.

This gives the impression that you’re either naive, shy, coy, or whatever name you want to call it, but in actual sense, this is one of the most powerful psychological weapons. Women use it on men all the time, to get what they want.

This lowers the other person’s guard and helps you appeal to the person’s subconscious brain without them realizing what really is happening.

By the end of the day, they’ll unconsciously say “YES”, while what they actually meant was “NO”.

3. Memorize The First Name

Do you know why your mother is someone special to you?

She has memorized your first name since your childhood. She always calls you by your first name—even when you’re in trouble. In fact, she gave you the first name.

That first name is something special to you. Even if you hear it being called in a crowd. One day, I shouted someone’s name in a crowd, and I couldn’t believe what happened—at least 10 people turned their heads. It was a common name, but still something special to the person I was calling.

Now, can you imagine someone calling you by your first name each time they want to address you. You will probably give them your full attention, and guess what? You’ll also probably give them your full cooperation.

At school, I liked the teachers who called me by my first name. I thought they liked me. And I loved their lessons too. In fact, I still remember their names.

4. Speak Like A 5th Grader

Donald Trump might be the most unpopular US President in history, but why is he still popular among many Americans, even after losing the 2020 presidential election?

Some say this, and others say that, but one study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that lack of heavy vocabulary in his speeches might have contributed to this. The researchers found that Trump's grammar is about that of a fifth grader.

Trump’s speeches appealed to the mostly illiterate rural white population, and this might also have contributed to his 2016 US presidential election win.

When addressing the masses, don’t use jargon, just to feel important. Only a few people will buy whatever message you’re selling. Use simple 5th grade vocabulary.

Among a bunch of learned professionals, you can use sesquipedalia (heavy vocabulary) and technical jargon.

To be on the safe side, use simple vocabulary everybody is comfortable with.

5. Get People To Say “Yes”

With this time-tested–and scientifically–proven method for presenting convincing arguments and persuading people to do what you want, getting to "Yes" is easier than you think.

Psychologists tell us that when making a request, remember that the other person has the option to decline. This persuasion tactic reaffirms a person's freedom of choice and implies to the other person that you are not undermining their ability to say “No”.

Avoid arguments at any cost. They never put food on the table. Always get into arguments that will result in the other person saying, “Yes”.

For example, instead of telling someone, “what you’re wearing doesn’t look nice on you”, ask leading questions like, “what you’re wearing looks nice on you, but don’t you think that wearing this one will make you look even more beautiful?”

6. Use The Power of Silence

When someone (a spouse, your boss, or a colleague) is yelling at you over the phone or at the office, use this trick to smother them all the time.

Maintain your cool and remain silent. In their mind, they expect you to say something to feed or provoke their psychological ego, but don’t say anything.

Don't ignore them altogether—speak up when spoken to, but don't say anything when they're speaking. No "uh-huhs," "mmms," or "I sees." Don’t even nod your head or display body language that you agree or disagree.

Say nothing. Remove all subconscious feedback from them…

You have to put in a lot of effort and practice since humans are naturally wired to feed off one another in verbal exchanges. The other person will quickly notice that something is amiss in the conversation, and it will generally sway them enough for them to stop screaming or yelling and tell you what they really wanted.

7. This is How To Break The Ice

When you know someone is not talking to you, or is cold towards you, ask them to do a minor favor, such as getting you a cup of coffee, or performing a small menial task, and then thank them, telling them how much they helped you, and how much this means to you.

People, in general, are self-serving and seek to make sense of their own actions. By assisting you, they will gradually shift their negative perception of you to a positive one.

It's a simple approach to form friendships, and while it doesn't intentionally f*ck with people, sometimes they just become your friends without knowing how or why...

8. How to Get People To Like You

Ever wondered why humor sells all the time?

Not many people can do this, but it can be learned.

It’s because by default, people are unhappy. That’s why people spend money just to get into the theatre to watch a stand-up comedian. That’s why people spend money to watch comedy. At least it keeps them excited. At least it makes them laugh and forget their miseries—even for a while.

This is a valuable hack if you want to be liked. Have you noticed how comedians seem to be liked by almost everybody?

You can also learn this trick very easily. Just buy a book of jokes and start practicing them on your friends, and see the impact it will make. As you gain more experience, practice them on anyone.

I’m not saying you should practice this on your in-laws, but it’s certainly something worth a try.

9. Find Out What Someone Likes

This one is for salespersons.

Take under 2 minutes to find out what your prospect likes. Spend about a minute to find out if they’re undergoing any pain. Pain sells twice more than pleasure.

If they like something you also like, you’re in luck. If not, then you must work really extra-hard to impress the prospect. If they’re undergoing pain, get into their pain. Speak their language. Prospects don’t buy from people who don’t sympathize with them.

Your success will depend on how quickly you learn to speak the prospect’s language. At no time should you speak about yourself or the products you want to sell.

Your primary aim is to make your prospect your friend. People are always looking for good friends who are not boring or imposing. Apply all the tactics mentioned in this article to get the prospect to like you first. People buy people. People buy products or services because they like the people selling those products.

Once people like you, you have one leg inside the door-step. Naturally, the other leg will also follow, and eventually, you will seal the deal.

Don’t be desperate and don’t look desperate. Be the cool, friendly guy or lady who gives a helping hand to a new friend you just met in a conference or in the street. So don’t seek to make a sale immediately. If it happens, well and good, but look for a long-term relationship.

Once they buy one thing, this will result in many more sales of different items.

10. The Storytelling Trick

I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t tell you about this one, but you probably already know about it.

This is not even a hack. It is a way of life as old as the world—it only becomes a trick when you use it to unethically manipulate people’s minds.

Storytelling is used to get people to warm up to you especially if their hearts have already been hardened.

Storytelling can get your captors to release you unconditionally.

Storytelling can open doors that were shut and there’s no other way out.

Storytelling can get you a difficult deal where people had refused to talk to you.

Storytelling can get you out of a bad situation.

Storytelling can get people to give you food for free.

Storytelling can get a hard-to-get lady or guy warm up to you and give you a date.