11 incredible psychological tricks to get people to

do what you want

(Star Wars / Lucasfilm)

Pull your own Jedi mind trick.

You dont need to be the CEO to get people to listen to you.

Psychological research suggests there are plenty of ways to get people to do what you want without
them even realizing youve persuaded them.

Weve rounded up 11 science-backed strategies for getting people to like you, to buy stuff, and to give
you what youre after.
All of them will leave you feeling more powerful.
1. Use a decoy option to get people to buy your product.

In his TED Talk, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explains the decoy effect using an old Economist
advertisement as an example.

The ad featured three subscription levels: $59 for online only, $159 for print only, and $159 for
online and print. Ariely figured out that the option to pay $159 for print only exists so that it makes
the option to pay $159 for online and print look more enticing than it would if it was just paired with
the $59 option.

In other words, if youre having trouble selling the more expensive of two products, consider adding
a third option whose only function is to make the expensive product look more enticing.
2. Tweak the environment to get people to act less selfish.

Priming is a powerful psychological phenomenon in which one stimulus produces a particular

response to another stimulus, often unconsciously.

One study, cited in the book You Are Not So Smart, found that participants playing the ultimatum
game opted to keep more money for themselves when they were seated in a room with a briefcase, a
leather portfolio, and a fountain pen than when they sat in a room with neutral items. Even though
none of the participants were aware of what had happened, the business-related objects may have
elicited competitiveness.

This tactic could potentially work when youre bargaining with someone instead of meeting in a
conference room, consider convening in a coffee shop so your partner is less inclined toward
aggression.
3. Help advance someones goals to get them to do you a favor.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini says one way to influence people is to invoke the reciprocity norm.
Basically, you help someone with something they need so they feel obliged to return the favor.

And when youre thanked for helping out, Cialdini advises saying something like, Of course, its
what partners do for each other, instead of no problem, so they feel like theyre expected to do the
same for you.
(Flickr / Luke Redmond)
Copy your partner's body language to make them like you.

4. Mimic peoples body language to get them to like you.

The next time youre trying to impress a hiring manager or the object of your affection, try subtly
mimicking the way theyre sitting and speaking theyll probably like you more.

Scientists call it the chameleon effect: We tend to like conversation partners that mimic our
postures, mannerisms, and facial expressions.

The strangest part of this phenomenon is that it happens largely unconsciously most participants
in the chameleon effect study werent even aware that they were being copied.
5. Speak quickly to get an argument opponent to agree with you.

How you communicate your ideas can be just as important as the substance of your
argument.Research suggests that when someone disagrees with you, you should speak faster so they
have less time to process what youre saying.
On the contrary, when youre delivering an argument that your audience agrees with, it helps to
speak more slowly, so they have time to evaluate the message.
6. Confuse people to get them to comply with your request.

The disrupt-then-reframe technique is a sneaky way to get people to cooperate.

One study found that when experimenters went door-to-door selling note cards for charity, DTR
helped them make twice as much money as when they simply told people they were selling eight
cards for $3. In the DTR scenario, they told people it was 300 pennies for eight cards, which is a
bargain.

Researchers say that DTR works because it disrupts routine thought processes. While trying to figure
out how many dollars 300 pennies comes out to, people are distracted, and so they just accept the
idea that the price is a deal.
7. Ask people for favors when theyre tired to get them to cooperate.

An alert mind may express some doubt when approached with a request. Yet someone whos tired or
distracted will likely be less critical, and will simply accept what you say as true.

So if youre planning to ask a coworker to help out with a project that will supposedly only take an
hour, its best to ask at the end of a workday. That way, theyll be drained from the days tasks and
wont have the mental energy to realize that the project will probably take up more of their time.

(Flickr/Adam)
When people feel like they're being watched, they tend to behave ethically.

8. Display an image of eyes to get people to behave ethically.

In one study, people were more likely to clean up after themselves in a cafeteria when they saw an
image of eyes than when they saw an image of flowers. The study authors say that eyes typically
indicate social scrutiny.

Whether youre trying to prevent littering or encourage people to return the books they borrow from
the office library, it helps to give people the impression that theyre being watched.
9. Use nouns instead of verbs to get people to change their behavior.

In one study, people were asked two versions of the same question: How important is it to you
tovote in tomorrows election? and How important is it to you to be a voter in tomorrows
election? Results showed that participants in the voter condition were more likely to cast their
ballots the next day.

Thats likely because people are driven by the need to belong, and using a noun reinforces their
identity as a member of a specific group.
10. Scare people to get them to give you what you need.

Research suggests that people who experience anxiety and then a sense of relief usually respond
positively to requests afterward. For example, people who heard an invisible policemans whistle
while crossing the street were more likely to agree to complete a questionnaire than people who
didnt hear anything.

Thats possibly because their cognitive resources were occupied thinking about the potential danger
they encountered, so they had fewer resources left to think about the request that was just posed.
11. Focus on what your bargaining partner is gaining to get them to agree to your offer.

While negotiating, research suggests you should emphasize to your partner what theyre about
to gainas opposed to what theyre losing. For example, if youre trying to sell a car, you should say,
Ill give you my car for $1,000, instead of, I want $1,000 for the car.

That way, youll persuade your partner to see things from a different perspective, and theyll probably
be more likely to concede.