Since the beginning of time, people have wanted to control the minds of others, though it may not be a reality just yet, these tricks will make you seem like you’re in total control of a situation, or make your friends think you are a mind reader. Either way, it sounds pretty fun, right?
Just wait until we show you how to make your friend answer a simple question incorrectly without even knowing it.
Today we are revealing 10 psychology tricks that work on anybody.
1. Stalker detector
Have you ever had that awkward moment when you glanced at someone and they were looking at you? What if you glanced more than once and they are still staring?
It may be a coincidence, but sometimes it can be uncomfortable. You may even think this person is watching you. If that thought pops into your head, there is an easy way to figure it out without embarrassing yourself or the other person. Just yawn.
That’s right, take a long yawn, and when you’re finished look at the person. If they yawned there’s a good chance they’re watching you, this comes down to the fact that yawning is contagious.
So if someone is watching you over 50% of the time, if you yawn, so will they. Sorry, we can’t help you with the internet stalking though. On the flip side, you could use this trick to see if someone is interested in you. Chances are if someone has a crush on you, they’re going to notice when you walk in the room.
If you want to see if you have that special someone’s attention, yawn and see if they do it too.
2. Part the sea
Okay, we admit you won’t actually be able to part the sea with this trick.
You will be able to part foot traffic in a crowded area which in most cases is so much better. If you’re at a crowded party or social event. This trick can come in handy if you’re trying to cross the room.
All you have to do in this circumstance is look into the direction you want to go you will be shocked to see there’s a path that opens up to you. The trick has to do with the other people around you.
When in crowded areas, it’s common for people to watch each other’s eyes as a sign of where they’re headed. To avoid running into this person, they go the opposite way.
Now there are some things to remember when you’re trying this trick out. It isn’t going to work if you’re wearing sunglasses because people obviously can’t see your eyes. It also won’t work if you have your eyes glued to your smartphone. If that is the case, put your phone down and pay attention to where you’re going.
3. Snack-man effect
Though this next trick is nothing new, it gained popularity thanks to a cell phone video that went viral.
In 2013 a man was boarding the New York City subway which doesn’t seem out of the ordinary right? The only difference is there was a fight involving a man and a woman on the subway cart.
Not knowing what to do, the man stepped in between the people fighting. He acted calm and collected while he snacked on Pringles and gummy bears.
Luckily there was someone on the same subway cart smart enough to record the whole thing. You are probably wondering how did he stop the fight by just walking between the fighters? Well, in this case, the man calms the situation down by eating.
People associate eating with being calm when you see someone in what would otherwise be a tense situation, eating makes them appear to be relaxed.
How many times has someone been attacked by a stranger while they were eating? We are willing to bet very few.
The good Samaritan in the video was quickly dubbed snack-man and the trick is now called the snack-man-effect.
4. Appease confrontation
Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of having a peaceful work environment. Sometimes you may do something wrong and it can disrupt the workflow or you may just have a bully at work who has it out for you.
Either way, there is a trick that can help you take matters into your own hands when you head into a meeting where you think you might be part of a confrontation. Sit next to the person who you think is going to initiate the aggression.
Though you may want to be as far away from this person as possible, hear us out. When you sit next to someone who is angry at you, it makes it awkward for them to show aggression towards you. Not only will they have to move their whole body to face you but it also just puts them off.
The great thing about this trick is that you might be able to ease the situation completely without an argument.
This also works when you think someone just bad-mouthed you. Sitting close to the person you think spoke poorly of you will make them feel guilty about what they said. After that, leave the rest up to karma!
5. Shoot for the stars
You have probably heard people tell you to shoot for the stars when it comes to your dreams.
That isn’t the only time to shoot for the stars because you can also do the same when you want something from someone.
Science has proven that if you want something from someone, aim high. Well, a ridiculously high, that is by asking someone for something ridiculously out of their grasp and following up with a smaller amount later. They are more likely to oblige to your second offer.
For instance, say you have a friend who works for your favorite band. You may want to go to the show so you ask them for tickets for you and your friends. You should break the ice by asking for a ridiculous amount of tickets to the show.
Of course don’t be surprised when the person says no, instead follow it up by asking for the actual amount of tickets you wanted. They are much more likely to not blow you off this time.
This trick works because the person feels bad for saying no to your first proposition. By agreeing to the second one, they think they’re helping you out.
6. Eye contact for dummies
Making eye contact isn’t always easy and no, we don’t think you are a dummy.
If you’re one of those people who are uncomfortable with eye contact, don’t worry we are here to help.
First, you should probably know why eye contact is so important when you meet someone. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, if you aren’t able to look someone in the eye while they are talking they may think you aren’t interested in the conversation. This may mean you will miss out on some pretty awesome connections.
Keeping good eye contact can also help communicate, and understanding another person. They will feel like you see them and accept what they are saying. You should never let your social anxiety associated with eye contact get in the way of your relationships.
To combat this, try this little trick.
When you meet someone, try to remember the color of their eyes. This will trick them into thinking you are making eye contact and it will keep your mind off the intimacy of locking eyes with a stranger. Just make sure it isn’t obvious and keep a smile on your face while doing so.
7. Rubber hand illusion
Would you believe that you can trick someone into thinking a hand is theirs even though it’s a rubber hand?
Italian scientists wanted to figure out how the brain works and how it reacts to limbs that aren’t it’s own. To do this, they trick volunteers into thinking a rubber hand was their own and recorded how the brain responded.
Luckily for you, we are exposing the methods so you can try it out on your friends. First, you’ll need a rubber hand, next sit a friend down at a table and have them place both hands on the table with their left hand on the outside of the screen. This screen will hide their hands from their view.
Now place the rubber hand in front of them and on the inside of the screen. This will act as their left hand in this trick.
Next, start stroking the top of their hidden left hand and the rubber hand at the same time do this for one to two minutes. They will start to feel like the rubber hand is actually their own. They will even flinch if you pretend you’re going to hit the rubber hand with something.
This is because the brain is fastly taking ownership of the fake hand. Pretty creepy, right?
8. Grey elephant
There is a trick that has been floating around for quite some time and it’s bound to freak your friends out.
If you do this trick they will probably think you are kind of psychic, but it really comes down to knowing the most common answers to a simple math equation.
For this trick have a friend pick a number between 1 and 10 then have them multiply the number by nine. Once they have the number get them to add the two numbers together.
For example, if they choose 6, 6×9 = 54, then 54 = 5+4=9, next subtract five from that number. In this case, it will be 4, then have them pick the corresponding letter in the alphabet 1 equals (A), 2 equals (B), and so on.
Next, tell them to think of a European country that begins with the letter they chose. Then tell them to move to the next letter over and think of an animal that starts with that letter. Then ask them to think of a color that animal is. Chances are their answers will be Denmark, elephant, and gray.
Before the trick, you will write down ‘‘grey elephant from Denmark’’ on a sheet of paper, pull it from your pocket after the answer and watch them lose their minds.
9. Stoplight
Did you know you can get someone to answer a question incorrectly with a simple psychological trick?
Even the smartest person you know is no match to this sneaky method.
For this trick, you will pry your friend into giving a false answer.
Priming someone means you are exposing them to something that influences their behavior later on.
In this instance, you will get your friend to spell the word ‘‘shop’’ out loud. After that, have them spell the word ‘‘cop’’. Then ask them what the letters ‘‘F-L-O-P’’ spell out, and make sure they say ‘‘flop’’.
Once they say the word, immediately ask them what they do at the green light. Did they say stop? Chances are they won’t even pick up on the fact that they just gave the wrong answer.
Tell them that was wrong and watch their mind explode. This trick works because you are priming them with words that sound like the word stop. Because of these rhyming words, they answered stop without even thinking about the question you just asked. Go ahead and try this trick on a friend.
10. Red hammer
Another trick that will make people think you are a psychic is the ‘red hammer’ trick.
The reason why it works is that you are giving someone a task than making them answer something quickly. Because of the random question, they will blurt the first thing that comes to their mind and for 98% of people, it is the same answer.
For this trick. You will need a piece of paper and a pen, on that paper write the following math equations but don’t answer them.
15+ 6
3 + 56
89 + 2
12 + 53
75 + 26
25 + 52
63 + 32
On the back of that sheet of paper write the final math equation 123 + 5.
Now give this little math quiz to your friend and watch them squirm in their seat. When they get to the bottom of the first page, have them flip over the paper to reveal the final question.
When they figure it out, quickly ask them to shout out a color and the name of a tool.
Did they say ‘‘red hammer?’’
Before the trick, write ‘‘red hammer’’ on a sheet of paper and show your friends that you knew they were going to guess it. If they didn’t say ‘‘red hammer’’, pat them on the back and let them know how special they are.
What are you waiting for? Which one of these tricks are you going to try first?
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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Photo credit: Ilona Panych on Unsplash