Every human being is a one-of-a-kind universe, but psychologists with a keen eye for detail are constantly uncovering new behavioral patterns that are thought to have originated in our childhood and can be applied to anyone. We decided to share these helpful psychology tips in the hopes that they will improve your communication skills and make your life easier.
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Create a debt
One tactic is to create a debt by doing something for them first in order to force them to do something for you in the face of resistance. This depends on the so-called Norm of Reciprocity, which is simply the expectation that people will repay a favor. A simple illustration of this is when someone washes your windshield while you are stopped at a stop sign and then requests payment. Even though you didn’t ask them to clean your windshield, you suddenly feel obligated to do so.
This debt may be produced in a number of different ways. In order to create a debt of goodwill and encourage larger tips, servers at restaurants will write personal notes on your bill. Companies offer free trials of their goods and services because they are aware that after you use them, you will feel obligated to keep them and will be less likely to cancel or return them. Do something for them the next time you need someone to do something for you and you sense their reluctance, and your chances of success will increase.
Mirroring
Yes, a psychological ploy employed by Andy Bernard on The Office has scientific justification. Personality mirroring, also known as The Chameleon Effect, occurs when we unintentionally adopt the postures, attitudes, and other behaviors of those around us. Due to the “perception-behavior link,” which increases the likelihood that we’ll repeat a behavior after observing it, we all have a propensity to do this.
By purposefully adopting the mannerisms and other behaviors of the people you want to influence, you can take advantage of this. Due to the fact that you’ll literally remind people of themselves, this fosters trust and makes you seem more knowledgeable and reliable.
Over-ask
Are you attempting to persuade someone to take action? Consider using the Door in The Face (DITF) method. In order to pull off this trick, ask your target for something they will undoubtedly reject that is much harder or more outrageous than what you really want. After that, concede and make your initial request. Because of DITF, which is based on the Norm of Reciprocity discussed above (the name of this technique is derived from the idea of people slamming the door in a pushy salesperson’s face), the likelihood that they will concur has significantly increased. When you lower your demands, it’s subconsciously interpreted as a concession, which results in debt. People will feel strongly compelled to comply with your “lesser” request in order to cancel that debt.
Repeat yourself
Repetition bias is one of the most effective psychological strategies you can use when trying to persuade someone of something. Basically, the more often a statement is repeated, the more credible and true it is perceived to be. In other words, the more often you repeat something, even if it is obviously false or incorrect, the more likely it is that someone will start to believe you. The “illusory truth effect” is the result of this, and recent years have demonstrated just how potent it can be even when dealing with sizable populations that have access to factual information. Therefore, the next time you need to persuade someone of something, just keep repeating it until you wear them out.
Imply scarcity
One of the most prevalent instances of obvious psychological trickery that we regularly come across is the scarcity principle. The scarcity effect is used against you whenever you see an advertisement that claims something is limited—in time or quantity. This works, and it’s simple to see why: When we perceive something to be rare, we often give it a higher value. Your fear of missing out (FOMO) hits hard when you’re told that an opportunity is only available for a brief period of time or in a limited quantity, and you almost instinctively want to avoid it.
Although this works best with product marketing, you can still use this tactic in other contexts. By implying that you are too busy to fit them into your schedule, you can deceive people into spending time with you, for instance.
Speak with confidence
When you speak, the words you use can greatly affect how people perceive you and how frequently they comply with your requests. When we speak, we frequently unintentionally “hedge” by using words like “I think” or “I’m not entirely sure, but…” This gives your audience room to question what you’re saying and make you seem less than trustworthy.
However, even if nothing else in what you’re saying changes, using statements like “I know” or “I believe” will give your arguments more authority. In other words, even though your claims may still be questionable, people will be more likely to believe you because of how confidently you make them.
Use names
Try using their name if you sense that someone is losing interest in you or if you want to keep their attention on you regardless of what is going on around you. The “Cocktail Party Effect,” which describes how we automatically block out all other stimuli when we hear something interesting, is based on the scientific theory that hearing our name triggers this effect to a great extent.
You can use this easy technique to make sure that people are paying attention and feeling engaged with you as you speak. This is why salespeople are typically trained to repeat your name frequently as they deliver their pitch to you. It’s possible that nobody in your audience even realizes why they recall your conversation with them so vividly or why they didn’t pay attention to other attendees while you were speaking.
Be present
You can use something called “affinity” to con people into trusting you if you’re trying to build a relationship with them. People feel a sense of affinity toward you when they are used to seeing you frequently; the more “present” you are in their lives, the more likely it is that they will feel comfortable with and trust you.
For instance, four women pretended to be students in a class for the purposes of an experiment. The women simply showed up; they had no interaction with any of the other students. At the end of the semester, the other students were shown photos and asked their thoughts after the imposters had attended varying numbers of classes. Even though they hadn’t spoken to anyone, the women who had been the most “present” in class—those who had attended the most classes—sparked higher levels of affinity.
Dish the compliments
Spontaneous trait transference is one of the trickiest mental techniques. This basically means that people often judge you by the adjectives you use to describe other people.
Therefore, start referring to other people as smart if you want someone to think highly of you. Use those adjectives to describe others if you want to be perceived as self-assured or even attractive. Everyone will begin to judge you over time based on those remarks. Remember that this also applies in reverse; if you spend your days rudely insulting others, those who are close to you might begin to have a very negative opinion of you.
Touch
Do you want to persuade others? Try some subconscious contact. Simply put, subliminal touching is making innocuous eye contact while chatting with someone. People have been shown to feel warmer toward you right away when you briefly touch their arm or shoulder. Although you frequently hear this advice in the context of dating and romance, it’s a potent mind trick that can be used whenever you’re attempting to be viewed favorably. For instance, a study by the University of Mississippi and Rhodes College discovered that waitresses who gently touched their customers left significantly larger tips.
Although there is no real mind control, you can use these tried-and-true mind tricks to your advantage. Just keep in mind that other people may be employing the same tactics on you.
