25 People Reveal Their Most Effective Psychological Tactics

In the labyrinth of the human mind, lies an array of psychological nuances waiting to be explored. On a platform where anonymity fosters candidness, Reddit users recently engaged in a thought-provoking discussion prompted by the question, “What is the most effective psychological trick you ever used?”

#1

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One of my favorite tricks I use on myself is, when I can’t sleep, I just curl into the most comfy position, close my eyes and pretend really hard that it’s 6 am and I have to get up. I don’t know why, but it makes me fall asleep real quick.

#2

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I worked at an insurance agency where a lot of customers were crabby or rude. I’ve rented in the area for a decade, so I’ve gotten familiar with all of the parks in town. I’d look at their address and say “Oh! You live right by Kingston Park. I walk my dog there all the time!” Their attitudes did a 180. They didn’t want to be jerks to somebody they might encounter in real life.

#3

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Telling people “thank you for letting me know” when they’re critical or giving unsolicited advice. Totally throws them off.

#4

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I always pay attention to what people do when they are trying to do something nice for someone else and do it back to them.

For example, one of my friends and one of my sisters are constantly sending people cards in the mail.  For all sorts of occasions.  Whenever these ladies are trying to do something nice, they do it via cards.

What I realized is that they, themselves, SUPER enjoy receiving cards and mail.  That is why they think it’s such a nice gesture and do it for other people.

I don’t usually send anybody cards myself, but on occasion I will make a point to send those two ladies cards, and the payoff is always HUGE.  They both get so excited and text me extensively about how much they loved their card.  It’s extremely cute.

Another example is my mom always goes out of her way to set the table in a fancy way for someone’s birthday dinner.  My mom loooooves fancy table settings, so to her that is a really great gesture that makes things feel very special.  One year I was dropping off a birthday cake for her while she was out, and my husband and I stayed an extra 10 minutes to set the table for her too.  We didn’t do much beyond putting down a table cloth and matching plates with the cake sort of artfully placed in the center, but holy cow the payoff was HUGE.  Apparently my mom was so touched when she came home and saw the table that she burst into tears.

This isn’t a trick if you’re thinking psychological manipulation.  It’s more if you are trying to think of the most impactful way to show someone your love, your best bet is to mirror that person’s methods of being loving back to them. .

#5

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Giving a friend’s child (10 yo) an illusion of choice to get them to do something you want them to do. So instead of saying “put your socks on”, say “do you want these socks, or these ones”. Or same for dinner. Not “Eat your dinner”. Ask, “do you want peas or brocolli?” They feel ownership of their choice and some control in their life. Kids in general, have very little control over their lives and they need practice to make decisions.

#6

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If you want someone to like you, ask them for their opinion or help in something you know they are good at.

People like to feel important and needed, so you fill a need by asking, so they automatically view you positively.  It also opens them up, even many shy people will open up if it is something they enjoy or are talented at.  You meet some great people this way.
Bonus, you can see how they treat people while in a position of “authority”, which will help you decide if you want to continue to build a relationship.  .

#7

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When getting a client’s background (social services) and they bring up their kids, ask to see a photo or ask something that triggers a proud parent response. Accelerates the process of building trust.

#8

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Not sure how well it actually works, but one good one is saying thank you instead of sorry. Like ”thank you for waiting” instead of ”sorry for being late”. It draws attention away from the negative.

#9

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Seasickness cure Only works on others (won’t work on yourself or anyone you tell the “secret” to). Tell the person experiencing seasickness they need to eat an orange (or any other available random thing, oranges or other citrus works well for the explanation.). Explain that they cure sea sickness and that’s why pirates and all the other explorers used to seek them out and always made sure they had some on the ship. Now the psychology behind it is that nothing truly cures sea sickness but it is mostly caused from your mind being confused by not seeing the horizon correctly. Basically telling the person that an orange or whatever you recommend they eat / drink causes them to experience the placebo effect and their brain believes the problem just went away. Used this successfully 5 or 6 times with complete strangers and also on my wife. When we got back from our latest excursion my wife was the one to repeat it to someone else. Still works for her too.

#10

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When my kids were younger if I thought they were lying, I would ask them to stick out their tongue. They thought I could tell from the colour of their tongue whether they were lying or not.

In reality, it was that they would hesitate before sticking out their tongue that told me if they were lying or not.

#11

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Tell your kids that chores will be done after your nap and they will let you hibernate through the winter without any distractions.

#12

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When upset callers would rant and start to curse and yell, I’d interrupt with “Wow, I am really sorry that you feel you have to talk to me this way in order for me to help you. You don’t, but I understand. I’ll let you talk and then I am going to help you. I am sorry I interrupted you; you were saying?

They would either apologize, chance their tone or hang up. I was fine with either one.

#13

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Owning up to my mistakes with full, if not excessive, ownership. It tends to disarm the offended.

#14

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When someone is yelling at you in public, I always remain calm and nonexpressive. Not giving them the reaction they want and escalating makes them feel/look goofy.

#15

Toss a coin to reveal how you feel about a decision. if you wish it went the other way, do the other thing. if it’s “oh, yeah, that’s fine”, stick with the coin.

Image source: _social_hermit_

#16

My son is neurodivergent. If I just go up to him and tell him it’s time to go, there’s major pushback. If I tell him we’re going in 5 minutes, he has a bit of time to prepare for a shift in focus and will happily follow me. This works with anything with him. I’ve told his teachers and they find out quickly that you’ve got to give him that heads up or it’s a major pain in the a*s to get him switched.

Image source: GreenOnionCrusader

#17

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Asking “would you be opposed to doing X?” instead of “would you be willing to do X?”.

#18

At work, when I want a particular outcome from a boss, I don’t ask them if I can do a thing. I state that I’m doing a thing (and give a reasonable reason why), and then ask them to let me know if they have any objections.

I now get to do far more of what I want than before.

Image source: heelstoo

#19

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My “dad voice”. It’s amazing how hard it can jolt people. I think the funniest use though was playing volleyball. I’d just boom out “mine!” and the other team would all step away from the ball.

#20

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I have harnessed the power of positive reinforcement. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, I make a conscious effort to highlight and praise the positive behaviors or traits of others.

#21

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When someone does something you like, reward them. Much in the sense of “good boy” for a dog. So if they say something you like “I like how you said that!” Or “that’s a good question”. It’s really just positive reinforcement, but it works really well especially in the work place. For instance, “I really like the way you write that report” or “thank you so much for noticing that. I admire that you’re able to do that and it’s helpful”. People often forget to just compliment people and when you learn to give people meaningful compliments you’d be surprised how much easier life will go socially and professionally.

Another one I’ll say is, a few weeks into a new job, bring donuts or cookies or something. It’s a good gesture that will help get people to like you, especially if you got off on a wrong foot.

#22

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Listening to happy music can actually make you happier. Those lyrics are affirmations. If you keep repeating lyrics that says you’re a piece of s**t or you’re not worthy you’ll end up believing it.

#23

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Acctualy this one came in my minde -To avoid workplace drama and be well liked is to just compliment people behind their back.

#24

Under promise and over deliver.

Image source: anon

#25

I tell my husband when my teacup is full. This is how I imagine my ability to regulate my emotions and how likely I am to snap at someone. I’ll say stuff like, “My teacup is almost full but I’ll do my best.” When I’m overwhelmed I can say my cup is full and he immediately understands what I mean and what that means for a while.

We use this with our daughter to some success, where she can at least identify when she’s getting overwhelmed before it hits the peak. Then we move into how we can best empty our cup in a way that’s not overwhelming, and doesn’t make others feel bad. After all, screaming might empty our cups quickly, but we’re just pouring that energy into someone else’s cup.

The best part is that because I’ve used this pretty consistently, I have a better feel for how much emotional bandwidth I have at that moment and can be honest with friends and coworkers, “I really want to hear this story, but I don’t have much room in my cup. Give me 5 minutes to take a quick break and when I come back I’m all ears.” It’s been great and I feel like my relationships have gotten better.

Image source: penguinofmystery