People Share 19 Psychological Tricks That Have Worked for Them More Than Once

You can get what you want without much effort. No seriously, you can. You just need to know a few psychological tricks for how to do it. You can easily learn hidden information, make a person react however you want, and even stop hiccupping in a flash. And most importantly, these tricks really work and have been confirmed by the personal experience of the people who shared them.

We at Bright Side have already tried to apply some of these hacks in our own lives. And we offer you the chance to join our “get what you want” team.

• If someone won’t stop talking or let you get a word in, drop something (your keys, a pen). Reach down to pick them up and start talking. It’s a way to interrupt without the other person realizing it. ©Itsme290

• If someone has hiccups, ask them, “hey, what’s tofu made of?” It works like 80% of the time. ©Batman-Witch

• Have a toddler that is in a bad mood? Sit down with them, look them straight in the eye, and say “You’re mad, so don’t laugh.” Just keep repeating it as seriously as you can. I’ve done it for 15 different cousins over a couple of decades, and by the fifth repetition of “DON’T LAUGH,” they are busting a gut and rolling on the floor. ©Nitrostoat

• When you’re studying or learning something new, teach a friend about it. Let them ask questions. If you’re able to teach something well, that means you understand it. ©unknown

• I’m a very lazy person. To motivate myself somehow, I took a graph paper notebook and marked each cell as a day of my life: one page is a little less than a year, there are only 60 pages in a notebook. Every day, when I don’t want to do something or when I have to do something I don’t like, I look at this notebook and understand that life is not that long, and I need to move forward. 25,000 days make up an average of life, so don’t waste them! ©"Overheard" / Ideer

• Triangular eye movements. If you want someone to keep talking, look at one of their eyes, then the other, then the mouth. You can go on, around and around, forever and they won’t notice, it’ll look natural and like you’re paying attention. On the other hand, if you want them to shut up, just do the opposite triangle: eye-eye-forehead. They can’t really put a finger on it, but they’ll feel a little uncomfortable and won’t keep going on for too long. ©johnnielittleshoes

• Starting phone calls with, “Did I catch you at a bad time?” Most people start conversations with “Hey, do you have a minute to talk,” which makes people defensive. Getting people to say, “No” is a key factor that allows them to open up by saying, “No, of course not, I’m not doing much anyways.” ©kito99

• False attribution of arousal. When you take somebody out on a first date, take them somewhere exciting that will get their heart rate up, e.g. roller coaster or horror film. This raises their adrenaline levels. It makes them think they enjoy spending time with you, rather than doing the activity. ©Chiphai

• If you want to avoid conflict, sit next to the person you think might be aggressive. It’s more difficult to be aggressive toward someone you’re sitting next to, than toward someone who is sitting across from you. ©anasteroide

• If you’re looking for something in a room that another person has hidden, just shout that you found it. They’ll normally look directly at the object. ©CRZAcidGaming

• When I miss someone, and there is absolutely no reason to write or call, I send them a message with the text: “Hello! Can you imagine, I saw you in my dreams last night. I am writing to find out how you are doing.” Everyone will want to talk after hearing that — people like to be in someone else’s dreams. ©"Overheard" / Ideer

• If you work with clients, prevent them from getting defensive and angry by not using the word “you.” Don’t blame them, blame the thing you’re talking about. ©athaliah

• If you want to find out what’s bugging your kid, but they won’t open up to you, ask them while they’re doing something they enjoy. Distracted kids are more honest when being questioned, because their brains aren’t thinking about the repercussions of their answers as much. ©hardly_

• To make someone keep talking, repeat the last words they said when they stopped talking. They’ll keep going and going. ©PrimoNando

• You can remind yourself to do any task by leaving a random object in the middle of the floor on your way out of a room. When you come back in, you’ll see the object and remember why you left it there. Works every time. ©Alweenie

• Changing the words you use to describe or talk about something can help change your association with that thing. We develop a pile of emotional context around the words we use, by changing the words, we can change the context. ©nuttallfun

• If you want someone to agree with what you’re saying, nod while saying it. They’ll unconsciously nod back, which tricks their brain into believing that what’s being said is a fact. ©SuperNashwan

• When I get to a boring party, I always go back out to a store and buy a coconut. As soon as it’s on the table, people immediately approach it, and begin to lively discuss how to open it. After that, communication is established and the party becomes more fun. ©"Overheard" / Ideer

• When someone asks me a question that I don’t want to answer, I always say, “Why do you ask?” It’s my go-to. ©Abdul_Exhaust

Which of these tricks would you like to try? What other psychological hacks do you know of? You can share them with others in the comments.