20 Psychological Life Hacks that Will Help You Gain the Advantage in Social Situations

So, recently I stumbled upon this thread in askreddit. A guy was asking for some useful psychological life hacks that can give you advantage in social situations. As a life long learner, I love discovering new hacks, so I wanted to see what people suggest.

Some of them are quite obvious, especially for people who have been practicing seduction, but I must admit that some of them I had no idea about.

I was inspired by the whole topic and put together a list with the ones I liked the most. I also added some of my own, based on my personal experience and mind hacking abilities. Check them out:

1. ASSUME COMFORT IN ANY INTERACTION

Our brain is an incredibly complicated instrument. Our relationship with it, is a love-hate one. We think we have control over it but usually our brain is the one that dictates our actions.

In most of our social interactions, we find it difficult to feel comfortable among strangers because our brain tries to protect us from exposure.

This however isn’t helping us when trying to be social and meet new people, is it?

This is why assuming comfort is so powerful. Commanding your brain to feel that you already know the person you are about to meet, puts you in a position of advantage. It increases the chances of people showing interest in you and consequently even liking you.

2. PAY ATTENTION TO PEOPLE’S FEET WHEN YOU ARE APPROACHING THEM

Interrupting people when they are in the middle of an important conversation, is one of the most annoying things to do. It shows that you have zero knowledge of social dynamics and it can also lead to unpleasant situations.

When you approach a group of people while in a conversation, pay attention to their bodies. If they turn only their torsos and not their feet, it means they are in the middle of an important conversation and they don’t want you to interrupt them.

If they turn both torso and feet, it means you are welcome. This is extremely important, because the right timing in such situations may put you in a position of advantage. Especially if the conversation was boring for both sides.

3. WHENEVER YOU HAVE AN ARGUMENT WITH SOMEONE, STAND NEXT TO THEM AND NOT IN FRONT OF THEM

We’ve all been in situations where out of nowhere the conversation started escalating.

Unless you love drama, I would suggest you avoid these situations. You might have the best argument in the world, but usually people get irritated when they feel they are wrong.

So, whenever you feel that the argument you have with another person (especially friends – it’s not cool to fight with friends) creates tension, move next to them. You won’t appear much of a threat, and they will eventually calm down.

4. WHENEVER YOU NEED A FAVOR, OPEN WITH “I NEED YOUR HELP”

Admit it. We all love to get others to do stuff for us. Either because we are lazy, or because we really need some help to complete a task.

Social dynamics show that apart from girls, nobody really likes an asshole. So whenever you need a favor, start your sentence with “I need your help”.

In most cases, people will accept and help you. This occurs because we don’t really like the guilt of not helping someone out. Apart from assholes. Assholes have no regrets.

5. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL GOOD, GIVE THEM VALIDATION. REPHRASE WHAT THEY JUST TOLD YOU

We love validation. Most of our actions are the outcome of our need for validation. So what is the best way to get people to like you? Give them what they need of course.

A simple example, is when you are in a conversation with another person and he says something really important for him. After he finishes, rephrase what he just said in your own words.

This will make him think that you are a good listener and that you are really interested in him. It makes him feel he is the center of attention. That’s validation right there.

6. IF YOU WANT TO GET A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM SOMEONE, NOD WHILE YOU TALK

This one is extremely powerful and also a bit manipulative especially if the person is suggestive. So use it with your own responsibility.

Getting a positive response from someone, is usually what we want. Whether it is making a sale, or getting a girl to have sex with you, we always want to close the deal.

Nodding while you try to deliver your message is a powerful way to get the person to agree with you. People usually like mimicking, so they will most probably nod back while you talk. This will subsequently communicate to their brains that they have to agree with you.

7. WANT TO SEE IF SOMEONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? FOLD YOUR ARMS

Usually when we are in the middle of a conversation and especially if we talk about something very important to us, we get lost in our talking and rarely pay attention to whether the other person is following or not.

So instead of losing time talking to a person who is distracted and might not even be interested in what you are saying, do this. Fold your arms while talking and see if the other person follows your move.

If the other person is observing you and pays attention, they will most likely mimic you.

8. HAVING TROUBLE REMEMBERING NAMES? REPEAT THE OTHER PERSON’S NAME DURING THE CONVERSATION

I suck at remembering names. I usually don’t even listen to the other person when he says his name the moment we get introduced to each other. So usually, I ask a friend to introduce himself to the person so I can listen to his name. But then I forget it again. Awkward.

Remembering names is very important because we feel important when someone mentions us. So the moment you meet someone repeat his name. Example:

“Hi my name is Alex”

“Nice to meet you Alex. So, Alex how do you know John?”

And continue to repeat his name throughout the conversation.

9. IF YOU ASK SOMEONE A QUESTION AND THEY ONLY PARTIALLY ANSWER, JUST WAIT. THEY WILL KEEP TALKING

This is a very common situation when you don’t know the other person that well or your question wasn’t clear enough.

If they finish the answer without providing a full answer, just wait. Stay silent and keep eye contact.

It puts a bit of pressure on them but it communicates that you show interest. It also sub-communicates that you are a person that usually gets what he wants.

10. PEOPLE USUALLY FOCUS ON THE EMOTION AND NOT ON THE SUBJECT

This is very useful in public speaking but also in interactions with girls. Whenever you introduce yourself to new people, most probably they have already heard what you are about to say.

Well that’s not a problem. Even if you want to talk about the most boring topic in the world, make something sure. Always try to evoke emotions.

From my experience the 3 emotions that you want to evoke are:

• Excitement
• Laughter
• Arousal (for women only)

So if you want to be memorable, focus on these three emotions.

11. CONFIDENCE IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE

Two young candidates walked into the interview office to apply for the same job. The first one had a Phd, two Masters and a Bachelor’s degree. The second one had just a Bachelor. The first one was kind of shy, didn’t talk much, his body language was shit. The second one had an amazing posture, was looking the interviewers directly in the eyes, showed a lot of interest in the job and his answers where emitting confidence.

Who do you think got the job?

12.FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

No one became an expert on anything over night. However, the learning process in everything you do is accelerated by commanding your brain to think what you want it to think. In simple words. You are what you believe you are.

You are confident if you believe you are confident
You are attractive if you believe you are attractive
You are extrovert if you believe you are extrovert
If you want to look deeper into this idea look up two words. Neuroplasticity and Brain rewiring.

13.IF YOU WANT TO BE PERSUASIVE, TRY AND REDUCE THE USE OF THE WORDS “I THINK” AND “I BELIEVE”

I don’t really feel the need to elaborate on this one. Obviously these words do not evoke confidence and the other person will most probably not take you seriously.

14.A CLEAN AND ORGANIZED ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS YOUR MOOD AND PRODUCTIVITY

How many times have you waken up without any motivation at all? How many times have you started working on something without being able to get focused and inspired?

Next time this happens, take a look around you. Is your environment clean and well-organized? If not, take some minutes to clean it up and put everything into place. You will feel refreshed and reborn. Productivity will spark immediately.

Why do think most of the big companies pay so much attention to creating the best working environment for their employees? They know what makes them happy and how it affects their productivity. More info here.

15.WANT TO FIND OUT WHICH PEOPLE ARE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER WITHIN A GROUP?

Pay attention to who is looking at each other when everyone in the group laughs at a joke. People instinctively look at the person they feel closest to within the group.

16.WHENEVER YOU CALL A PERSON YOU WANT TO MEET, SHOW EXCITEMENT!

Have always this in mind. Excitement is contagious. Why do you think the music video from Pharrel Williams – Happy got so many views and so many people were talking about it?

People love excitement! It is like an escape from their boring lives. Never forget that.

17.WANT TO BUILD RAPPORT AND GAIN RESPECT? MATCH BODY LANGUAGE

This is quite a common topic among body language experts and works well if you want to gain respect from a person that has high value.

Example:

You are in a social situation where a person has higher value among others within the group. He is the center of attention and he totally enjoys it. How do you match his value? By befriending him!

If you want his respect and attention the best thing to do when you approach him is to match his body language. If he has open body language and he talks with excitement and joy, don’t go there and be shy and self-conscious.

Approach him with the same amount of excitement and show openness and interest.

18.WHEN SOMEONE INSULTS YOU, EITHER IGNORE HIM OR MOCK HIM. NEVER LOSE TEMPER. ALWAYS CONTROL THE FRAME

Haters are everywhere. The more you feed them with hate, the stronger they become. Never lose your temper. A great example of how to deal with a hater is this. Enjoy!

19.STAND UP STRAIGHT, HAVE WARM HANDS AND ALWAYS KEEP EYE CONTACT

Keep a straight posture and walk like a Leader. This subcommunicates confidence and others will respect you more.
Keep your hands out of your pockets. If you don’t know what to do with them, it is better to fold your arms rather than keep them inside your pockets.
Keep your hands warm. If you have a warm hand when you shake somebody’s hand, you immediately become a more desirable person to get along with. Secret Tip – wash your hands with warm water often to keep them warm.
You have heard this a thousand times. Here is the 1001st. – never lose eye contact! Losing eye contact is like losing your confidence.

20.THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN EFFECT

The Ben Franklin effect is a psychological finding:

A person who has done someone a favor is more likely to do that person another favor than they would be if they had received a favor from that person. Similarly, one who harms another is more willing to harm them again than the victim is to retaliate.

Unbelievable finding.

This is also very helpful is seduction. Most guys think that buying a girl a drink will get them in her pants. Wrong!

Based on the Benjamin Franklin effect, if you ask a girl to buy you a drink you kill 3 birds with one stone.

• You get a free drink
• The girl likes you more
• The girl is more open to future favors

There. I just demystified the buy me a drink myth.

21. (BONUS) IF YOU WORK IN A BAR OR IN CUSTOMER SERVICE OF ANY KIND…

This is gold! Especially if you work in a bar that attracts grumpy customers. Do this:

Put a mirror behind you at the counter. When an angry customer approaches you, he will have to see himself in the mirror and will most probably calm down. Nobody likes ruining his image.

CONCLUSION

There you have it. The 20 most useful psychological life hacks that can help you gain advantage in social situations. Use them wisely.

Till next time.

This article was written by Andrian you can visit him on his website

This article is a excerpt from the author’s best selling book “Speak Like a Leader.” If you enjoyed it, you can grab your own personal copy here.

Source: The Quint Essential Man via Inspire Amaze

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