The subconscious mind causes us to behave in ways we don’t even realize. We might find ourselves doing something without thinking about it, and we don’t stop to ask ourselves why, either. The inner psyche is deep and complex but that doesn’t mean it can’t be shaped with some clever hacks.
Recently, a Reddit user asked everyone to share the psychological tricks that blew their mind when they first heard them. Bored Panda has collected the finest ones to help you become a master of the mind.
From ones to help you realize yourself more fully, to ones that will help you to get what you want from others, there are lots of valuable tips here. And some funnier ones too! See what you can learn and check out our other collections here and here too!
#1
Whenever I’m feeling nervous or anxious about something I just tell myself how excited I am to do it and trick myself into actually calming down. Works well for presentations
Image credits: lilitaaa
#2
Stop talking.If you want to get more information out of someone, just let them speak. There are times in a conversation that things stop. Most people want to fill this themselves, but don't. Let the other person do it.
This is especially useful if you think the person and their story is full of shit.
Image credits: I-am-a-meat-popcycle
#3
If someone makes a derogatory joke about you in a group setting, play dumb and ask them to explain. It’s not funny the second time and they will look like an AH
Image credits: Mundane-Flounder1061
#4
People who feel guilty will over explain to justify their actions.I do insurance claims. I don't need to know why you backed into a pole, I don't care. It's covered, all I need is the incident and damage description. But man some people feel so bad about it, they won't stop going on about how the sun was in their eyes but they should have looked better and they can't believe it happened, and they have a reversing camera and sensors which were supposed to help but they didn't and they're so angry with themselves and it's a new car and they can't believe they've done this.
Image credits: JackofScarlets
#5
If you find yourself overthinking, stare at a fixated point. To fetch memories, your eyes need to move. So if you’re staring at a singular point, it’s very difficult to overthink.
Image credits: chaoticsushi
#6
A therapist told me that anger is a secondary emotion and should be treated like a traffic light, you should stop at yellow before jumping to red. Ask yourself what was the first thing come to your mind triggered you is it being ignored, feeling trapped, unheard, insecure etc... Because your first thought is what you actually feel your anger comes last.I'm a calm natured person rarely get angry, this advice helped me to identify my weaknesses and anxiety. You can apply this to any emotion not just anger.
Image credits: bones_of_an_angel
#7
Minimizing. If you feel like something is a really big chore or you just can't get yourself to get up and go do something, minimize it to a small insignificant part. Instead of doing all the garden work, say you're just going to take the tools out so when you want to work you can. 90% of the time once you're up and doing the small thing, the big bad chore doesn't seem so bad now and you end up doing it.
Image credits: TroyMcpoyle
#8
Don't know what to say but want to keep the conversation going?Repeat the last phrase of the last thing the person said as a question.
Eg: As a question?
Yes. As a question. Raise your voice so it's clear that you want them to go on.
Image credits: aciddd123
#9
At a garage sale, my father wanted $5 for a desk. It sat all day. Eventually, he wrote $10, and $20 above the $5 and crossed them out making it look like he'd dropped the price twice. It was gone in under 30 minutes.
Image credits: mike_e_mcgee
#10
By walking with your head and eyes forward like you’re deliberately going somewhere, people will move out of your way. I first tried this in a crowed mall when I was 14 and was blown away. I felt so powerful at 14 lol.
Image credits: KidOmen
#11
You can give a person talking on their phone an object and they will most likely take it because they are focused on the call. I regularly hand people empty plates, most of the time they just keep talking and don't notice what I'm doing.
Image credits: PleaseTakeThisName
#12
To avoid Canadian standoffs when you and another person are walking towards each other in a hallway, square up your shoulders and tilt your head in the direction you plan on going. The other person will move out of the way 9 times out of 10
Image credits: time_wasting_student
#13
Smile as soon as you first see people (you want to like you) as you greet them, like hey buddy how you doin ?! And look genuinley happy to see them... dont matter whether its girls, guys, young, old.. itll make them excited to see you like every time i dont get it but theres phsycology to it and it actually changed my life
Image credits: tyler-warner
#14
Want someone to tell you a secret? Just start guessing out loud. People have the tendency to correct you. I’ve had people revealing their full passwords to me starting off by saying “you look like someone that would put an exclamation mark at the end of their password”. No? “Well then it’s probably your birth date”. And so on.
Image credits: Securinti
#15
If you need an answer, don't leave the question open-ended.This hell-site is full of comments like "HuRr DuRR maH giRLfriENd cAn'T dECIde WhEre to EAT!"
Don't ask, "What do you want for dinner tonight?"
Ask, "You feel like pizza or burgers tonight?"
Image credits: Panx
#16
If you don’t look a toddler in the eyes after it falls or hurts itself and just act like all is fine, there’s a good chance they won’t cry
Image credits: MediocrePen8710
#17
If you want someone to like you, ask them questions about themselves.
Image credits: 19Todash
#18
Talking myself to sleep. I’ll think things like, “my bed is sooooo comfortable. Sleeping is soooo easy. I love sleeping. Sleeping is great.” Instead of agonizing over why I can’t sleep. Positively reinforcing myself is my new lullaby lmao
Image credits: HarrisonRyeGraham
#19
Cunningham's Law, the best way to get an answer on the internet is to post the question with a misspelling, anal people will be drawn to correct and mock you and one will invariably have the answer you're looking for.
Image credits: Emperor_Cartagia
#20
Silence as a conversational/interrogation tool.People will rush to fill the void.
Image credits: dramboxf
#21
If you ask someone to move over to an arbitrary different location to talk (could be 5 feet away) they are much more likely to listen to you and follow instructions. (One of my tricks as an elementary school teacher.)
Image credits: jerikkoa
#22
Give young kids the illusion they are making a decision to do something that you really want them to do.Kid won’t eat their carrots and wants dessert now? You say to them do you want to eat your carrots first and then dessert? Or would you like to save your dessert for tomorrow and eat your carrots now?
Image credits: Event_horizon-
#23
When you ask for something, give a reason. Any reason. Any reason at all.In the study that popularized this idea, it was people asking to cut in line for a xerox machine (copier). They would literally say "Can I cut you in line?" But sometimes they would also say "I'm in a rush" (a valid reason to cut in line) and sometimes they would instead say "I need to make copies."
Except, it's a copy machine. Everyone is there to make copies.
What they found is that, when the request isn't high-effort, a terrible reason (Langer called it "placebic" information) is just as effective as a good reason. Worst case is just that it's a high-effort ask, and in those situations it makes no difference so might as well ask.
Image credits: Burn_After_Greeting
#24
Door in the face techniqueBasically, someone who would have said no to a certain request if you asked it initially, is more likely to say yes to that request if you FIRST ask for something so big that you KNOW they'll say no, and then the thing you actually want seems reasonable by comparison when you ask it afterward
Image credits: harplesbian
#25
"The Wally Reflector"Thanks to Dilbert-man Scott Adams, I learned the Wally Reflector at a young age. It's very simple. If someone tries to pawn their work off on you, ask them to do something for you first related to said task. 9 times out of 10 they'll leave and try to find someone else.
"Hey can you finish this report for me? I'm going on vacation and want to leave a little early to beat traffic to the airport."
"Sure, I'd love to help! But, could you possibly send me a quick email with a bulletpoint list of what needs to be in the report, just so I don't miss anything?"
"Uhhhh, on second thought..."
Image credits: 1234_Temp_qwer
#26
If you want people to like you, ask them for small favours they can easily do for you.Everyone likes to feel useful even if they don't realize it.
Image credits: ItsACaragor
#27
When you want/need something from someone, ask them for help with it. Rather than "hey can you do this for me?", say "hey can you help me with this?" People are more inclined to be helpful than to just take on the task for you
Image credits: CaptainScotchTape
#28
People are more likely to believe something you tell them if it's self depreciating. You can make up some sort of lie but if you add something negative about yourself in it it sounds more believable.
Image credits: radpandaparty
#29
If you want someone to be nicer to you, compliment them behind their back. If they find out they'll perceive you as nicer as most people say bad things behind other's backs. Either way if they act shitty towards you they seem like the bad guy, and because its behind their back it doesn't look like ass-kissing
Image credits: FlitterBug05
#30
If someone who you don’t like is talking to you just keep staring at their forehead#31
Visualizing yourself doing something properly can be better than actually practicing the thing.There was a study conducted on a basketball team. Group A practiced shooting free throws. Group B visualized themselves shooting free throws. Group C visualize for half the time then shot for half the time.
Group C improved the most. Then group B. Group A was last.
#32
My first workplace trick that I still use regularly: people will procrastinate with their own work, but drop everything to quickly "correct" someone else's work.Example: Bill needs to provide a paragraph of text to go in your company's brochure. He's been dragging his feet forever and it's the last thing you're waiting on but he keeps putting it off. Go to where his paragraph should be and write a shitty version of what he's supposed to do. Don't invest more than ten seconds. "We do widget services. We are good at it. Our services are good for your widget needs." Send it to Bill saying "hey I filled in the last paragraph about widget services; can you check and make sure it meets your criteria, and I'll send it along to the boss for approval?" You'll have Bill's polished, fully composed text in about ten minutes.
Image credits: Much_Difference
#33
Paying someone a compliment before a difficult conversation or fight. Specifically, one tied to the value in your opinion of them.For example: "I really appreciate the mature, level headed way you handled yourself in our last discussion" or "Your patience and understanding in situations like this is something I really admire about you"
It's the upgraded, more subtle version of the "thank you for your understanding" line you see in customer service a lot. The "I" and "Me" pronouns are important, as it changes a generic compliment into an opinion or feeling you have about them.
It sets a subconscious goal for the person that they will often try to live up to. It's like the subconscious goes "Why yes! I am those things, let me prove that you're right!" but also adds a little weight that you're opinion of them will decrease if they don't.
Sometimes I feel bad for using it, because it's almost too manipulative. (Especially if I'm lying about that opinion)
#34
Not sure if it is a trick, but when a woman asks me how to guess how old she is I subtract 10 yrs from what I really think. Amazed how well it works.#35
I taught teenagers in a really tough London school. A colleague taught me a brilliant trick to get a kid to calm down when they were angry:Look them calmly in the eye and say “what do you want to happen next?”
Most of the time they were so caught up in emotion they hadn’t thought about the consequences of their dickery. As soon as you prod them to think about consequences, most of them would calm down straight away.
#36
When walking through a crowd don’t look at the People in front of you. Instead look past them where you are trying to go and most people will make room without noticing it.#37
I'm not sure if it works everywhere, but in the South (USA) people will be nicer to you if you use a Southern accent. Doesn't matter where they're from, it's very calming.#38
Ask an employee to do something you know they won't want to do, like move to another station? Or trying to get kids to do something? Give them a choice, where you are ok with either option. That gives them control. Everyone wants some control over their lives. This gives it to them.#39
I don't remember the specifics but if there's a tense situation between you and another person, eat something. Seeing you eat, something that people/animals only do when they're relaxed and feeling unthreatened, will essentially mentally cue yourself AND the other person to relax a little more.Don't know how true it is but it makes sense!
#40
Getting though a job interview, when I first graduated I really struggled, had a couple of rejections and picked up a self help book. The first tip was just smile. They already think you're qualified, the interview is to check you're going to fit in.I didn't have time to read any further so I felt completely unprepared. The entire interview was all jokes and laughter and I got the job. It was for a creative role so most of these kinds of jobs don't do any weird testing or have any formal questioning or metrics.
#41
Fake it till you make it.When you're having a bad day, just acting happy makes you feel happy. Especially around other people. When they notice your mood they'd most likely brighten up too and, there you go.
#42
The fastest way to get the information you want isn't to ask, it's make an incorrect statement. People can't help but correct others. Seriously works so well.#43
i tend to procrastinate. a lot.I've given myself this rule where i will internally count down from whatever number and when i hit zero i have to do the thing or else.
example: in the shower, depressed, letting the water run over me. i dont wanna get out but I'm wasting water.
begin counting down from 30. 29. 28. 27... 3. 2 1. put hand on dial and turn it off without any thought. the only thought is "zero"
i do this for lots of things
#44
Hmm so many good ones but being able to laugh I think was the most important, as going through some of the crap that I did it was learn to laugh or roll over and die, you’d be amazed at what a fucked up joke followed by a desperate chuckle can let you live through.#45
Tell someone to quickly pick a number between 1-10.The number 7 is picked an overwhelming amount of the time. I don't know why.
#46
If someone insults you, either own it or pretend you don’t understand. They can’t get you on something you admit to and if they have to explain it, it loses all its impact.#47
Always give a reason when you ask for something. Even the most stupid reason like in this example:You are in a line for the printer and you ask the guy infront of you ”Hey, mind if i go first i have to use the printer”
This exact experiment has been done and you were succesful more often when you give that reason.
#48
If you want to be involved in any work environment, or feel like an insider during work, you gotta greet everyone you meet right away. If you missed them, turn around, go back, and say something like "sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm ____." If you don't have time, then take the next chance, even if it's just a "hi" or a wave. People will see you as assertive and approachable. It doesn't really matter if you're introverted and don't speak to them for the rest of the day or whatever. It kills most of the awkwardness associated with being social with people you may or may not know. Plus, it sets you up for healthy teamwork#49
When you play Rock, Paper, Scissors, ask your opponent something that really confuses them. Then continue on. There's a super high chance they'll pick scissors.I've used it on my literal twin, and it still works. That's how you know it works.
#50
If a toddler does something to get your attention, do the same.Once my nephew dropped on the floor and started having a tantrum by shouting and kicking.
I did the same. He looked at me shocked and confused, got up and walked away lol
#51
"Kill 'em with kindness."Wew lad nothing eats away at your enemies like that. Short, sweet, simple, and confident does the trick. You could get into a massive argument for hours, fight, cuss, spit, punch, kick. Nothing will really burn them at the core quite as much as being nice to them.
I believe it is a psychological trick because they usually don't expect it. They know you're enemies, and it throws them into a loop and off-guard.
I bumped into my old boss recently. He had absolutely royally screwed me over before I quit, stabbed me square in the back to protect his own hide. I gave him this huge smile, said "Hey [name], good to see you!"
He gave a weird frown and returned "Hi... Uh... How have you been?"
"Better than ever! How about you?"
"Uh... Fine." He made an obvious effort to keep walking and avoid a conversation.
I bumped into him again before I left the place we were at and gave him a nod, nice smile, and the "three finger wave" sort of like a salute. His face said it all... I hate that guy, why is he happy?
Note: I want to clarify that this isn't effective in all scenarios, and going out of your way to rub false kindness into someone's face negates it altogether.
#52
Whatever you're scared of doing is only going to last two seconds. Then you'll blink and it will be months later and you'll wonder why you were even worried. I figured this out in 8th grade before a presentation I was TERRIFIED of giving, and I think of that moment every time I'm nervous to do something and now I'm 28! Time flies. No point of worrying about it.#53
Holding something warm creates positive feelings toward someone you just met, and something cold creates negative feelings.Always meet someone at a coffee shop.
#54
Silence during conversation. The info you get after the first answer is the true knowledge#55
If you use a word someone doesn't know, they'll usually just ignore the rest of the thing you said instead of admit that they don't understand you#56
As a kid, arguing with my brother:It is not!
It is so!
Is not!
Is so!
It. Is. SO!!
It is not!
Good, I agree.
Blink, blink.
It only worked once, and surprised me it did.
#57
If you want to make a lie sound believable, say something embarrassing about yourself with it.#58
This is going to sound obvious but it honestly didn't click for me until after high school. **People will like you if you're nice to them and genuine.**Also people like when you show vulnerability and weakness.
Sadly up through high school I thought showing weakness was bad and it was more important to show strength than kindness. It was a miserable time and those habits took a long time to break.
#59
Telling people that it drives you crazy when other people have dry lips and they in turn, subconsciously start licking their lips.#60
If you look and sound like you know what you are doing, odds are a fair amount of people will think you know what you are doing.Even if you don't
#61
When my three sons were pretty young, think Irish twins but more like triplets, when they would tell a fib their faces would give it away. Besides the eyes and the expression on their little faces, their little foreheads would wrinkle up from their eyes getting so big when they’d fib. Their eye brows would go up really high on their foreheads and then wrinkles would show. They were all really cute with their tells. So, one day I told my sons, “I know you’re lying because your forehead lights up.” Literally, their wrinkled little foreheads is what I meant. But they were 3, 2, and 1. In an attempt to conceal their little white lies as an attempt to outsmart their momma, they began to cover their foreheads. If I couldn’t see their foreheads I wouldn’t see the lit up forehead after all. Then after a few times of this happening the three boys got so confused about my magic abilities to see what they were so cleverly hiding.What’s funny, now that their grown men they still have the same tells when they try to keep the whole truth to me and still they don’t get why I always know when one isn’t being honest.
#62
My brothers stopped tickling me if I didn’t laugh.#63
I once went to training for handling media interviews. Something they described and demonstrated is how reporters can make you look bad in an interview. They recorded a video of me answering a question by a "reporter". The question was a bit sneaky in that the first part of the question seemed tame but took an evil turn right at the end...something like "Your company has a great philanthropic arm which supports many good causes including environmental efforts. How would they feel about the waste your putting into the waters at your Colfax plant?" They recorded the interview typical style where you can see the back of the interviewer but only see my face and used a separate camera for the interviewer. I thought I'd done pretty well and followed the training, but when we looked at the recording as an edited piece I looked bad because I smiled when he talked about the wastewater part. Definitely evil genius look.I didn't even realize I'd done it and I wondered why I smiled? Then they showed me the reverse angle (that was edited out). Just as he was speaking the shitty part of the question the reporter intentionally smiled, and psychologically we are trained to smile back when someone smiles at us.
It was an amazing lesson.
#64
Working as a waitress, if I noticed a customer was getting particularly impatient and it looked like they were going to be rude to me when I went over, when I would take the food over and before they got the chance to speak I’d say something like ‘So sorry for the wait, thanks for being so lovely about it!’It seemed to catch them off guard and paint them as the ‘nice guy’ in my eyes, and more often than not their expression would change from pissed off to surprised, then they’d say something like ‘oh no problem it’s okay’ so they could keep being the nice guy and feel good about themselves and I avoid a chewing out.
#65
Whenever my toddler refuses to do something, I start doing it. Then they get all angry cause they wanna do it.Idiots
#66
Learning how to kickstart your own “hypnagogic hallucinations” to shut off your brain and quickly go to sleep. You basically force yourself to start visualizing the abstract imagery that your brain produces when you would normally start to drift off to sleep, and stop using the language part of your brain. It’s like kickstarting sleep instead of waiting for it to happen.As a long time insomniac from a family of insomniacs, this has been one of the most shockingly effective and potentially lifesaving mind hacks I have ever learned.
Seriously, read up on it and give it a try.
#67
The book “Never Split The Difference” is full of great psychological techniques. One of my favorites is the email simply asking “Have you given up on this?” When someone stops responding to you (typically in a sales scenario, but applicable elsewhere), this simple email practically guarantees a response.#68
When I was a kid, if I ever had to split candy with my little brother, I would split it, take the bigger piece and give my brother "the rest" because apparently getting the rest meant getting more in his mind.#69
Ignoring annoying people makes them less annoying#70
If you play dumb successfully you can see people's true intentions and morals. I can't tell you how many times people have admitted some incredibly f*cuked to stuff to me because they thought I was too dumb to know right from wrong.#71
When talking to someone I say “I’ll let you go” when I want to finish the conversation. This works tens times better then “I have to go”.#72
When you're walking down the sidewalk and someone is walking in the other direction look over their shoulder at something in the distance and they will usually move out of your way.#73
I told my friend that I was doing this and he got mad.About 5 years ago I had a house that I would host parties at. As dumb young 20's aged people, we would smoke cigarettes. If I didn't have a lighter I would ask for one.
Eventually, I decided to try something. I had a joke where I would snap my fingers and say "I wish I was the human torch or some shit." After the small giggle someone would offer a lighter. As I did it more often, I noticed that I wouldn't have to make the joke and someone would hand me a lighter.
It got to a point where if I snapped my fingers my roommate would grab his pocket out of instinct. That's the story about how I Pavlov'd a few of my friends.
#74
If someone is yelling at you over the phone, just don't say anything. They are GOING to apologize.#75
You know how small yappy dogs and tiny mice running around are terrifying despite us logically being much larger? Well in Kendo there is the "disarming scream" where you run at your opponent with a loud scream. When I've attempted doing my kendo practise, despite warning the person of what I'm about to do they inevitably drop the sword and can't take it. I've used this trick even without my old bamboo practise sword. Ie I ran at a violent mugger who was beating a young student. I'm a small woman but the guy still ran off. I've also used this trick to literally throw a guy more than twice my size (don't recommend unless you know how to do a judo throw)So basically, if you don't have an alternative, loud scream coinciding with running at your opponent works very well at disarming someone.
#76
Funny enough it came from Reddit.It’s that trick where when you’re talking to someone, and they reply with “what?” as if they didn’t hear you. Instead of repeating yourself, just keep staring at them without saying anything. Almost 99% of the time the person will then continue without you having to repeat yourself.
Pretty awesome!
#77
I find that when I ask someone if they’d like to be a rewards member, they’re more civil with me if I say, “would you like to be a rewards member or no?” I figure that by saying no at the end I’m insinuating that is is completely fine to say no I don’t want to be. I use this on everyone. Ive had customers that I see get short with other cashiers when they ask them this, I then ask them my way whenever I’m cashiering and they’re completely civil about it. I almost always get from these same people, “no thanks not today.” I guess some people view this questions as nuisance because in their mind they feel like they’re asked this every time at a lot of stores.#78
Nod and agree and move the fuck on.If someone with a strong/difficult personality is demanding you do/try ____, (and you don’t want to but know they’ll argue) just agree and move the fuck on. No reason to argue lol makes it so much more simple.
Ie: Barb: You really need to use this brand of diapers. They’re the best. I’ve had 22 kids
Me: Oh awesome thanks for the tip!
End of story. They never ask again, they just want to talk. To put their input in ANYTHING lol.
#79
Crying. I was extremly young, basically fresh out of the womb. People do all kind of shit when you cry. They even wipe your ass for you and give you food.#80
Humans have a tendency to take or give things if you put your hand out while talking to them. Really common in sales or just messing with friends.In sales i often hand the person the item im selling and most often they take it without even realizing it. More likely to buy it too. Ive chatted with a friend and put my hand out and he just gave me his phone. 5 minutes late hes wandering where his phone is.
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