Psychological skills are often applied in daily life, but not everyone may be aware of it. Industries like advertising and marketing are built upon these skills, which can effectively attract specific individuals and prompt them to engage in consumer behaviors beneficial to the businesses. Similarly, psychological techniques can be used in other areas to make things go more in the direction you desire.
According to Lifehacker, if you are looking to gain an advantage in daily life, there are some truly effective psychological techniques that you can utilize:
When you want someone to do something for you, but they seem reluctant, you can start by doing something for them, creating a sense of indebtedness that may make them feel obligated to reciprocate. This method is based on the so-called “norm of reciprocity”.
One can establish this sense of “debt of gratitude” in various ways. For example, some companies offer free trials of products and services to consumers because they understand that once the consumers have used the products, they would feel a sense of owing, making them less likely to cancel or return the product.
So, the next time you need help from someone but sense hesitation, consider doing something for them first to significantly increase the chances of success.
If you want someone to do something for you but anticipate resistance, you can employ the “door in the face” technique. Start by making a request that is more difficult or outrageous than what you truly want, and that they are likely to reject. Then, lower your request to what you initially desired. At this point, the likelihood of the person agreeing significantly increases.
The core of this technique lies in the aforementioned “norm of reciprocity”. When you downsize your request, the other person subconsciously views it as a concession, akin to a form of “debt of gratitude”. People often feel compelled to agree to your “lower” request to eliminate this “debt”.
Studies have shown that lightly touching someone’s arm or shoulder can instantly make them feel more favorable towards you. While commonly used in dating and romantic settings, it is an effective psychological technique whenever you want to leave a good impression on someone.
A study conducted by the University of Mississippi and Rhodes College found that restaurant servers who lightly touched customers received higher tips.
The “chameleon effect” refers to our unconscious tendency to mimic the posture, attitudes, and behaviors of those around us. We tend to do this due to the connection between perception and behavior, that is, observing a behavior increases the likelihood of us replicating it.
You can consciously use this phenomenon by imitating the habits and behaviors of individuals you wish to influence. This fosters trust, making you appear more authoritative and trustworthy because you are essentially prompting them to remind themselves of you.
The “scarcity principle” is one of the most commonly used psychological techniques in our daily lives. Whenever you see an advertisement claiming a product is limited – either in time or quantity – it is leveraging this technique to entice you.
The underlying principle is easily grasped – we often assign higher value to something because it is scarce. When someone tells you an opportunity exists for only a short time or is limited in quantity, you instinctively feel compelled to pursue it due to the “fear of missing out”.
While this tactic is most often utilized in product marketing, you can apply it in other aspects as well. For instance, you can suggest that your schedule is busy and cannot accommodate time easily to attract others to spend time with you.
If you aim to build trust with someone, utilize a technique called “mere-exposure effect” to earn their trust. Mere-exposure effect is the familiarity people develop with you by frequently being in their presence – the more often you appear in their lives, the more likely they are to feel close to you and trust you.
Your choice of words when speaking significantly influences how others perceive you and whether they will act in accordance with your wishes. We often unconsciously use ambiguous expressions like “I feel” or “I’m not sure, but…”. This creates doubt in others’ minds, making them perceive you as less dependable.
On the flip side, by using phrases like “I know” or “I believe”, even if the content of what you say remains unchanged, it can make your arguments seem more authoritative. In other words, because you express confidence, people are more likely to believe you.
If you notice someone’s attention wandering, or you want to ensure that regardless of what is happening around, they focus on you, try calling their name. Research shows that hearing one’s name triggers a “cocktail party effect” where we instinctively filter out other information when hearing something of interest, such as our name.
This is why salespeople often repeatedly mention your name during sales pitches, and you can utilize this simple technique to ensure people pay attention to you while speaking and engage with you. The listener might not even realize why they vividly remember your conversation or why they did not notice other people in the room during your talk.
The “spontaneous trait transference” is one of the most clever psychological techniques. In essence, people tend to view you through the same attributes you use to describe others.
So, if you want others to perceive you as intelligent, start by praising others’ intelligence. If you wish to come across as confident or charismatic, use these terms to describe others. Over time, everyone will begin to use these attributes to evaluate you.
It is important to note that this technique also has a negative impact. If you constantly criticize others, those around you may start to form very negative opinions of you.
These aforementioned psychological techniques are not about mind control or hypnosis, but rather strategies you can use to gain an advantage. However, remember that others may also employ similar techniques on you.