Cool Psychological Hacks To Try
It can be a little scary just how much power we have over our minds.
Our minds are powerful things. We can do some pretty incredible things once we know how to use them to our advantage.
The human mind is one of the most complex and intricate systems that the universe has ever created. It is capable of amazing feats and creating wonderful things. It can also be the source of a lot of pain and suffering. I’m going to share some of my favorite psychological hacks, which I believe can help us live better, more productive lives.
- For a couple, instead of going to dinner and a movie, go to the movie first and then dinner. This way at dinner you have something to talk about.
- If you’re coughing uncontrollably, raise your hands above your head and it will stop!
- If someone is trying to make you decide in a hurry, they are probably giving you a bad deal. Walk away.
- If you don’t know something, admit it. If you need help with something, ask for it. This communicates humility and self-awareness, which are traits people admire in others.
- If you want out of a conversation, look at one eye, then the other eye, and then their forehead. This will communicate that you’re done with the conversation and have better things to do than listen to them talk.
- If someone tries to loudly talk over you, just keep talking. But this is the real trick: Don’t raise your voice or change your cadence at all. Just keep talking exactly like you were doing before they tried to interrupt.
- As much as we might like to think we’re special, humans respond to operant conditioning the same way other animals do. They’ll be pleased and become more likely to repeat the behavior when you reward them. On the other hand, it’s also just a nice thing to do.
- Carry a clipboard. You can get very far in life if you’re holding a clipboard and walking with purpose. Nobody thinks to stop the person with a clipboard who is in the middle of an important task. Take advantage of it.
- If you want someone to do something for you or buy something from you, ask them and then immediately say, “you’re welcome to refuse, of course.” This quickly places them at ease rather than making them feel pressured, and can often even have the effect of them agreeing to whatever it is.
- If someone asks you to do something and you don’t want to (or can’t), just say “NO” or “Sorry, I can’t.” No further explanation is needed. This might throw them off a bit because people usually try to give excuses for why they can’t do something. But in most cases, you don’t owe anyone an explanation, and “No” is a complete sentence.
- While studying, take a short review at every 25-minute interval of the newly learned topic to prevent skimming.
- Write down all the formulas at the very beginning of the exam, you are prone to forgetting them under pressure as time passes.
- If you want to build a relationship with someone, just ask this person to tell/explain something to you even if you know the answer. This will improve their overall attitude towards you.
- If you want someone to choose a specific option, give them a list of three choices and put the one you want them to pick last. They’ll be more likely to choose that one since it’s the freshest in their mind.
- Nervousness and excitement have the same body reaction, so if you’re nervous about a speech, instead convince yourself you’re excited. It’s proven to give better speeches, too.
- Compliments are very important for self-esteem and the building of character. Don’t be afraid to tell someone how nice they look or that they’re doing a good job, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the moment, it will make them feel a bit better and they will appreciate it.
- Whenever a friend tries to tell or show you something that you already know, it’s best to let them. It makes them feel good to show you something and for you to enjoy it. Sometimes if you say, ‘Oh, I already saw that,” it’ll upset them a little bit.
I hope you’ve found it insightful. There is no way I could cover all the different hacks in a single post.
