What is the most effective psychological trick you use? Part 2.


Story Nineteen: When I know someone knows some truth about me, I just look at them and keep quiet. No nodding, no confirmation, just looking. Silence usually brings out the truth or additional details. If they spin a little, you know there's something they've overdone.

Story Twenty Five: If you need to remember something, think about it while doing something noticeably unusual. It will pair the memory with that something so that when you notice it later, it will trigger that particular memory. Example: I need to take out the trash before bed. Place a pillow at the end of the bed.

Story Twenty Six: A Few of My Favorites: If you look happy when you see someone every time you see them, they will eventually be happy when they see you. Be kind even to mean people. It's fun to see someone who is initially angry soften when you don't retreat into anger. Don't insult people; tell them how you would like them to behave. For example, if someone is clearly rude, just say, "You really like it when they're nice to you." I can't really blame you for that and maybe make them realize their behavior. Ask big, knowing it will be rejected, then ask for what you really want. There's a real term for it, the open door technique or something like that. In fact, it is a door-to-face technique. Thanks everyone.

Story Twenty Seven: When someone starts making fun of you, make fun of yourself in a smarter way. If the person is doing it for attention, it diverts attention away from them if you're funnier than them and gives them negative feedback towards making fun of you in the future. It doesn't always work because some people do it purely for their own enjoyment, but at least it will quickly become clear that the person is trash, which carries its own social shortcomings. So in the end, a person has a choice between being outmatched or looking like a bully.

Story Twenty Eight: I'm not sure if this counts as a psychological trick, maybe more of an attitude change, but I'll share anyway. I regularly get bored and play video games for hours or wander around the kitchen looking for food I wasn't even hungry for. Now, when I'm bored, I try to force myself to do something productive, whether it's washing a few dishes, playing with my cats, taking a shower, or going for a walk. You get it. It's helped me with my depression a little because I feel like I've accomplished something instead of just sitting around bored and eating.

Story Twenty-Nine: If I'm having a conversation that's a little difficult or I don't have much to say, then I'll repeat the last word or phrase the other person said with a slight tilt of the head as if to rephrase it as a question. They will almost always expand on or clarify what they said previously and then move on to something else. I can keep a whole conversation going just by doing this, but it will often help the other person open up, and feel like they were able to say what they wanted to say. Sometimes it's useful when you don't care and can't be interested in a conversation, but you don't want to be rude. However, it's also very useful when you really want to hear from someone and genuinely want them to share something, so it can be useful for both good and bad.

Story Thirty: If a child says they are afraid of a monster in the closet, instead of telling them there is no monster, ask them to describe the monster and what they think the monster is doing there in the first place. Then ask how to make the monster go away. This will help them alleviate their fear more effectively than instinctively trying to tell them there are no monsters.

Story Thirty One: Two tricks I use for myself: This one was inspired by the show "Indestructible Kimmy Schmidt." Basically, if I have a difficult task, I tell myself to try really hard for 30 seconds. Thirty seconds is not much; finally, I can literally hold my breath much longer. When those 30 seconds are up, I reset and tell myself to try hard for another 30 seconds. I mean, it's only 30 seconds. Another thing that helps me when I have a long task is to visualize myself already done with the task and pretend that what I'm experiencing is just my future self remembering. It's a little weird, it reminds me of the movie "The Arrival."

Story thirty-two: I work in an office. When people stop by my desk and refuse to leave me alone, I get up and pour water into my bottle while they talk to me. Instead of going back to my desk, I lead them to theirs. Instinctively he will sit down and then I just carry on the conversation and get back to work.

Story Thirty-Three: When I want someone to love me more, I ask them to do me a small favor. Psychologically, people often convince themselves that they love you as a way to justify their investment in service or expenditure of energy for you.

Story Thirty-Four: Got a toxic person who you need to get over without directly calling them names and risking taking on the consequences of their outburst? Tell a story about how some annoying idiot behaves a certain way, citing the toxic person's behavior here and how frustrating, pathetic, weak, etc. it is. This will awaken the toxic person's ego, and diminish that behavior. It works like a charm. Also, it's safe because they're narcissists and they can't imagine that their behavior is frustrating, so they won't make the connection and realize what you're doing.

Story Thirty-Five: This will be forgotten, but when I quit smoking, I left one cigarette in a pack in my car. I called it my last cigarette. I never told myself to stop; I was saving it for when I really wanted it. I smoked hell a day for ten years, and this month I'm four months without cigarettes. I still haven't stopped; just saving my last one.

Story Thirty-Six: When I'm driving through traffic, I always look toward my destination while being aware of my peripheral vision. Most people will notice your posture and avoid bumping into you. Just remember to be on the lookout for inconsiderate people who will bump head-on into you because they were too busy googling their phone screens.

Story Thirty Seven: Avoid using "I'm sorry" when it's not necessary. If something takes longer than you expected, don't keep apologizing because you'll be in a subordinate position. Instead, thank people for their patience, and generally, there will be a lot of understanding about the situation. I come from the UK where we have a huge culture of apologies, and this handy trick has helped me more times than I can count.

That would be it, I hope these are the ones any tips/experiences would be helpful. Although some writing errors are possible due to translation or other factors, I believe the gist is conveyed in an understandable manner. Thanks for reading.