The mind is a minefield. And it is vulnerable to others. So we must be talented at being the tricker and not the trickee. It may not be the ethical or moral thing to do but that doesn't mean it isn't a little funny or necessary. When we know we are right and have to make things right, then we must do what we must do.
Redditor u/secretfudgerecipe_ wanted to know what mind games people are adept at by wondering.... What's a psychology trick you use on others?
With the Eyes...
If someone is being disrespectful to me, and I can tell they're only doing it bc they don't think I'll lose my cool, I just stare at their forehead while they're talking to me and keep my replies short to make them feel intimidated. killerpb-j
Better to stare into their eyes without focus, it feels more intense to them than normal eye contact and they usually can't quite put their finger on why unless they're really observant. ThommasKurbyson
I WIn.
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When someone's being rude/impolite, I'm super nice to them. They will either become nicer themselves or very annoyed with me. I win either way. PurrsNpies
Walk the Walk.
You can get people to believe quite a bit if you say it confidently enough. Brinkah
I was going to say Walk with Confidence but wasn't sure if it applied. You can go so many places if you act like you're supposed to be there. overconfidentquartz
Hold Firm.
When somebody interrupts you, look them dead in the eye, and keep looking at them all the time. Neopysiak
This isn't just for eye contact or interruptions, any time a person does/says something to you that you didn't like, make sure you tell/show them that you're displeased, in any way necessary.
People will respect you a lot more it you have boundaries, and more importantly, you'll respect yourself for not being a pushover. night-laughs
In the Shins.
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If you're standing in the middle of a group and you have some thing to say take a step in. pareto-optimal
When I was at school we had a game where you would slowly try to surround a member of your group in the circle during conversation. Then someone would shout "In the middle," and everyone would kick the surrounded victim in the shins.
14 year old boys are idiots haha. NethereseWyvern
A Touch.
I'm a waitress, and if I sense that someone at my table is going to be rude/mean to me based on our first interaction, I'll go out of my way to say something really kind and pair it with a tiny shoulder/arm touch. It tends to work. erikarew
I'm not down with the touching, though I'm sure it works. But most of those people seem to be extremely entitled, so yeah, If you make them feel super special it usually flips their attitude entirely. I worked as a server for 5+ years and it is so much about hospitality and humility. dont_say_choozday
Being You....
Being a good, radically honest and trustworthy person. People tend to love you. Ozymandias47
It really works. It works even better if you add some situational awareness.
- Not everything needs to be said.
- Suggest improvements instead of pointing out problems.
- Don't get in the middle of other people's interpersonal issues. Offer advice and sympathy, sure. Just don't let yourself be used to continue a fight. kayodelycaon
Share with Smiles....
Only share positive things about your life and you'll lose conversation with a lot of people. Most people only want to hear negatives things or feel involved with drama. Debbiero70
Yeah, people get really weirded out when they tell me about some personal achievement and I cheer them on or get excited about it. I don't get it. Am I suppose to be jealous? dont_say_choozday
Oh Sweetie....
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If I want someone to like me I give them a sweet or chocolate whenever I see them. I do this until the reaction of excitement and happiness of getting a sweet is associated with me. Then I stop giving them sweets and the reaction is prompted by just seeing me. Learned that in psychology. AofAsgard
"What street did you grow up on?"
Verbal sedation.
Friend is having a panic attack. They aren't breathing steady and in a thought spiral. You ask them easy to and true questions that are easy to remember.
"What street did you grow up on?" "What was the color of your house you grew up in? And similar questions that have easy to recall answers that are just a few words for the answer. Jessica Jones did a great job demonstrating this when she would name off all the streets that were on her home town near her house. Tedbastion
Eyes Locked.
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If you're moving through a crowd with a lot of people moving the opposite direction (say a crowded sidewalk), keep your eyes up and locked on your general destination. People will subconsciously adjust to give you space. I don't mean just plow into folks, they'll shift on their own. Reverse_Waterfall
Greetings....
Mimic the way they greet you. Over time put your own spin on the greeting. Eventually they'll usually follow suit. Works wonders for making people like you. chillpill9623
"Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep that in mind."
I completely dissociate when being chewed out so they think they have said their piece, but really it's just an hour of invader zim in my head instead. bluntiograph
I do the same and follow it up with, "Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep that in mind." I keep repeating that phrase while they go off on me. I started doing this a few years ago with a supervisor who was a real bully. It drove her crazy because I remained professional but clearly didn't give a crap about what she was saying. It's the little things! onebeaner
Group Efforts.
Want to find out who someone likes most in a group? Keep an eye on who they look at when laughing. Moostcho
It's a measure of feeling connected with someone, more than specifically crushing on them. After hearing this some time ago I started paying attention to who I look at when laughing.
Often it's someone I just had a good conversation with. Or someone who's new to the group and I'm curious about how they're reacting to the joke. If I'm with family, it's usually my dad that I look at because I get along best with him. scrumplic
Grab.
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There's no real use for this but it's just funny, and it actually works, try handing something to a person when you're talking and looking at them, most of the time they'll just grab it for no reason haha. _LFKrebs_
You literally only have to say hi.
Say hello and greet them by name in the morning.
It's like the cheat code for working in an office. You literally only have to say hi. Just look busy, like you have something to do. People will both think you are productive and busy and also a nice person. That will pay off in spades in the future.
Also, make sure you ACTUALLY ARE a productive worker. Suuperdad
All Good.
Talk good stuff about friends behind their back. muhtasim7
Hush.
Staying silent and giving short answers can get you out of a lot of crap. I deal with millions of dollars worth of equipment and if something goes wrong, it turns into an interrogation with the client.
Best thing you can do is shut your mouth. Don't give descriptive answers because that opens doors to other questions. If you give short answers, people might end up talking themselves in a circle. Ultimately answering their own question and giving you ammo to use against them. This has got me out of a couple tense situations where a lot of finger pointing occurs. DrGiggleFr1tz
The Intros....
Stand up while talking if you want to wrap up a dragging conversation. The other person(s) will do the same unconsciously and you'll be able to bid your farewells and part ways. Useful for introverts like me. dizzypretzel
I know too many people who will keep talking to me even as I walk away from them. MyTurtleRanAway716
Moore's Law.
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When I want to find out a piece of information, instead of asking I will just make my best guess. If I am wrong people will gladly correct me, where if I ask they get annoyed at me asking. This is a well-known psychological trick known as Moore's Law. XM202AFRO
I can't definitively say I've come face to face with the spirits. But I have had some unsettling feelings in the dark. Shadows are just shadows sometimes, but who can be sure.
I hear it...
Nbc Wings GIF by HULUGiphy"I was helping my dad clean my grandma's house after she passed and I went in and was trying to find a song in my phone and before I could I heard a cough plain as day come from down the hallway where her room was. She died of lung and throat cancer it was pretty crazy."
Running Past...
"When I was 5 I remember getting home from my grandpa's birthday party. For context my mom was pregnant with my brother at the time, so my parents had already bought his crib. I woke up in the middle of the night to find a women in a white dress and long black hair standing over my brother's crib. I managed to wake up my dad so he could take me to the bathroom. When I got back it was still there. It was only until morning when it disappeared. Every now and then I see a glance of what I assume is that thing running past the backyard."
The Cat
"My best friend and his wife had moved to a new apartment. I came over to visit a few times, and each time I'd see the motion of a cat in my peripheral vision. Not the image of a cat, but a sense of how a cat moves. Anyway, one day I finally cracked some joke about the ghost cat in the place and his wife was instantly saying "See! See! I told you we had a ghost cat!"
"excuse me"
"I worked graveyard shift in a dementia ward for 4 years and it was anything but quiet. I was working with a nurse one night when we both heard a resident say "excuse me." We looked around and no-one was there. I checked on the resident in question and she was fast asleep in her own room. Many of us also experienced someone whistling in the ward late at night and one nurse even managed to catch a video of it happening. It was unnerving to say the least."
Clueless
Skeleton GIFGiphy"I once saw someone short walk by me in my house. They walked into the laundry room which only has one way in. I walked into it behind them and they where gone. I thought it was my little brother but I went to his room and he was asleep. I still have no clue what that was."
- ImBolio
Now was everyone here positive they were sober? Just asking. Those are certainly spooky moments. I'd like some video footage please. Continue...
Reflections
ghost library GIFGiphy"I was up at 3am when I was maybe 7 or 8. I looked out the window and saw a woman in a white dress run across my yard. I could see through her. She was transparent like the reflections on the window."
"you alright?"
"So, my work place is haunted. I was having a really crap day, and as a cleaner, it's normal that me and my co worker will be the only ones left at night. So I was standing on the second floor, leaning on the banister for the stair case, when I heard this male voice say in my ear "you alright?" Clear as day. I turned around so fast and nobody was there and it scared the hell out of me."
- Rex-the-
Watching Me
"I remember as a young kid I usually use to sit in my bed and watch tv with my room door open while the adjacent guest bedroom next to mine would always have the door shut. I always remember seeing that door fully open and close by itself multiple times a day very slowly and gently. Never really bothered me much now that I think about it… but there were other creepier experiences I had in the same house that made me feel uncomfortable like I was being watched."
Betsy
"I went to the Betsy Ross House as a really little kid in the early 90s. Normal house but I was confused why the tour guide never talked about the woman on the chair crying at the edge of the bed in Betsy Ross's bedroom. So I asked about it. No one else saw the woman at the edge of the bed. I figured it was just a wax museum since there was a wax statue of a man in uniform rolling bullets in the basement."
"Years later, I was looking at haunted Philadelphia tours to go on with a friend and the Betsy Ross House was on it. I was like "woah! I was there!" and looked into it some more. Turns out there is a woman at the end of the bed crying and a uniformed man in the basement that people have reported seeing. There is no way that 8 year old me would have known about either of these things."
hello kitty...
hello kitty lol GIF by Animation Domination High-DefGiphy"I had this hello kitty Balloon In my bed room, it had a string and weight on it. So it was late, I had the lights on just Sitting on my bed. The Balloon turns, faces my door, slowly floats into my hallway and turns and floats into my sister's room. To this day I am scared of balloons."
They are among us and they like Hello Kitty. I'm probably rattling the paranormal cages and they'll come for me next, but I'm ready. I feel like this thread has prepared me.
Boo!
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