Psychological Tricks To Get The Most Out of Social Situations

Author image for Eric Lund
Eric Lund
Nov 13, 2021 8:00 PM EST

There are always things we could improve with our demeanor or social skills. So if you want people to trust you (for non-nefarious purposes) or just get a leg up when playing tennis, there are some things we can all do to get that coveted psychological edge. A pretty simple psychological hack like knowing when to speak or how to make the right kind of eye contact can be a total game-changer.

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  • 01
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Rectangle - StevenXSG 18 hours ago Walking towards someone, look where you want to go and they'll move away. But more likely they will move to their right.
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  • 02
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Smile - JanelLiie 22 hours ago Listening to someone without giving advice or pushing for more information typically nets me more information than being pushy for it.
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  • 03
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Rectangle - BECKYISHERE 20 hours ago If a customer is angry I just agree wth them until they calm down. I'm really angry that delivery times are more than a week oh, thats a long time I would be angry too.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Human body - christinaaz7 18 hours ago 2 2 Under promising and over delivering at work. I also work at a mental hospital and it works with the people I work with.
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  • 05
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - baabaaredsheep 17 hours ago 2 2 e 3 Sometimes staying silent in a negotiation works in your favor. Silence often feels uncomfortable so the other party will offer up something by filling the quiet space with words. I used it once to negotiate something with my boss. I stated my case. He hmm and ummed for a bit to himself. I remained silent and he relented. Had I filled that silence with more words it could've given him ti
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - ConstableBlimeyChips 18 hours ago 2 Whenever someone is showing you around or demonstrating something to you, open your mouth ever so slightly. Doesn't have to be much, barely a centimeter is enough. It makes you look intrigued and fascinated by whatever it is you're been shown. Bill Clinton is an absolute master at this.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Hair - FriedPickIes 21 hours ago 3 e S I always smile when I see/approach/get approached by anyone so they immediately think I'm happy to see them- Makes me a lot of friends and helps conversations start better too!
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - RezaH81 19 hours ago · edited 16 hours ago Can't imagine this hasn't been mentioned (or maybe I just didn't see) but the thing I love most is mirroring people. Whenever someone says something to you, take the last few words and just say them in a questioning tone. Example: Person 1: "oh I was with Emily today." Person 2' "you were with Emily?" THIS F' ING THING is like a magic trick. Whenever you do it, people elaborate o
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Smile - thatdudefromPR 22 hours ago e There was a girl at work I had a crush on, so every time we talked I would give her some of her favorite candies, did it for weeks, until she would seek me out and make excuses to come see me before leaving for the day
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Human body - Sunsh1neMelting 23 hours ago Asking someone to do me some small trivial favor before asking them for a major favor.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - zerbey 20 hours ago If a customer is angry just let them talk until they finish, don't interrupt but do occasionally say things like "ok" and "I understand" so they know you are listening. Make notes, and then once they're finished summarise what they said. Most angry customers just want an affirmation that you actually paid attention to the reasons they were pissed off, once they get that off their chest they're much mor
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - killerabbit 19 hours ago I tell my toddler that I really want to eat her dinner myself.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Smile - MoustSuperLoco 17 hours ago i really like asking people the time right after they have checked it...most of them will check again
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  • 14
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - shiguywhy 20 hours ago "I" statements rather than "you" statements. People generally feel on the offensive when put something on them, especially when there's an issue. For example, "You did this wrong, can you try you it again a different way?" Putting the blame on them, makes them feel like you're accusing them. Consider "I'm not sure if this is right, can we try this again a different way?" Lacks the assumed accusation
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - upperslide8 19 hours ago FOR MY RETAIL/CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKERS! If you encounter a grumpy, rude customer at work, clarify that you appreciate their patience and understanding. Even if they aren't being patient and understanding. Karen's (male or female) are sort of like children. instill a specific headspace without their knowledge and soon enough, they'll actually start exhibiting that behavior. It's kind of like implan
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - spartanburt 16 hours ago When asking a stranger for help, just cut right to the chase with your question/request, then exchange some pleasantries after. What people tend to do usually is "Hi, how are you doing, I'm so- and-so, hey can I ask you for...". It makes the introduction seem less genuine, like it was only to ease your way into something you want/need. Switching the order makes you come across more honest, and the
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - pippi_longstocking09 21 hours ago Defenselessness (a la The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success) Basically, don't try to defend your position when someone criticizes/gets mad/disagrees with you. Just shrug your shoulders and go on with your life.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Art - RmmThrowAway 19 hours ago I refer to whoever I'm with by wacky nicknames that get progressively wackier over time.
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - PureObjective5 22 hours ago · edited 20 hours ago Whenever I can, I give people choices rather than tell them what to do. People feel more in control, when really I'll be fine either way. Some examples "Would you rather wash the car or clean the bathroom?" or "you can give your presentation now, or after lunch." "You can continue talking to them out of anger and keep getting the same result, or you can use this skill we w
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    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - leese216 16 hours ago When I'm having a deep/intense conversation with someone, and they're divulging things to me, I make sure my face doesn't react and just listen. I ask questions based on the information, many of them leading questions, and let them come to their "own" conclusions as to what to do about the situation. I also refrain from providing judgment about someone that person is talking about. At least until the
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  • 21
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - DreadPirateGriswold 12 hours ago 2 A little trick I learned from the mental game side of tennis... If you ever are in a competition (sport or other) that requires a lot of skill and your opponent is beating the hell out of you, ask them, "Man! You are playing great today! C'mon! Tell me. How are you doing that?" If your opponent is playing great, they're probably in "the zone" meaning muscle memory is taking over and they
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  • 22
    interesting and useful psychological tricks for social situations - Font - StopLyinBish 22 hours ago - edited 22 hours ago Ask people for things they want to do/don't mind doing as if they're favours to you. As if you'll owe them after this. I think it has to do with : .1. People like feeling useful. People like feeling like they've helped people - not necessarily because they're nice, but because "ability to help" implies some sort of power. .2. You give them opportunity to be nice. They'll fee
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