8 Surprisingly Simple Tricks to Manipulate Everyone's Mind

A simple guide to how you can use psychology to manipulate others

Every one of us is affected by psychological forces day after day. Understanding the fundamental psychology of human nature is key when it comes to learning how to manipulate others. Quick disclaimer first: Do not use the tactics taught in this blog post for fun or just to take advantage of anyone. Being manipulative doesn't necessarily make you a psychopath; You can use these tactics for either good or evil.

1. How to build trust with people quickly 🤗

We've talked about this technique in this blog a lot lately and for those of you who read our posts regularly you might wanna skip this point but I need to emphasize the importance of this manipulation technique. 

If you want to build trust quickly, especially with strangers, copy their body language. Of course, don't make it obvious. We suggest copying your conversation partner's body language traits with a delay of about 15 - 30 seconds. For example, if your conversation partner crosses his arms while talking, wait a few seconds and then do so as well. If he has his hands in his pockets, do so as well. This will make subconsciously think that you're in sync which works very well when it comes to building trust.

2. How to give your words in conversations a bigger effect 🗣️

This trick works especially good when trying to bring over a message to your conversation partner. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your speech on others try pausing at the right times. You can improve your talking skills even more by using a calm but confident voice. This will make you come across as a more powerful and independent person.

Another thing you have to remind when it comes to talking to others is not to talk too fast. If you talk too fast you can create a negative impression. Usually, we associate a fast-talking voice with a sales-person that's trying to sell you something or just someone who is trying to get a transaction over as quickly as possible without regard to the conversation partner. A fast-talking voice can also result in you losing your listener's attention and will make your message lose clarity (source). 

So try to talk in a calm, normal pitched and not too fast voice and add pauses when here and there.

3. How to make anyone like you (even if they disliked you in the first place) 💝

When researching for this blog post I stumbled across the Benjamin Franklin Effect. This is how it works:

If someone doesn't like you, ask them for a small favor such as borrowing a book, a pen or even lending you a piece of paper to use in class or at work.

Even if they're inclined to say no (and beware, they will be, especially if they don't like you), asking for a very small favor will be hard for anyone to say no. Benjamin Franklin discovered, that people who did him a favor, did usually like him more after doing the favor, even if they disliked him in the first place. This is best explained with the following quote: 

You tend to like the people to whom you are kind and dislike the people to whom you are rude. (source)

4. Get any information you desire from anyone 👁‍🗨

If you have a friend who struggles to open up to you about a certain topic, ask them a question about it. They will usually only answer you partially and not give you the information you want. If you start to insist or be demanding about it, you'll most likely not get the answer you desired. This is because when we are under pressure, we subconsciously tend to rebel against it and will deny the request.

To get the information you're seeking from the person do this after they responded to your question:

• Hold eye contact
• Don't say anything and remain silent for a few seconds
• Create an "awkward silence"

Your friend will do anything to break the awkward silence and feel the need to explain himself. Even if that means giving away the information he was holding back in the first place.

5. How to win in "rock, paper, scissors" (almost) all the time ✂️

Ok, this one is a very short but still cool trick to manipulate someones' mind. Next time, you're playing "rock, paper scissors", use this simple trick to increase your winning chances.

Right before playing, ask your opponent a random question. Most of the time, your now confused opponent will throw in scissors. All you need to do to win now is to use rock.

According to this article, it is also psychologically proven that rock and paper are used most (about 35% of the time), while scissors is played only about 29%. 

Also interesting, men statistically tend to lead with rock most often for their first move in the game while women tend to lead with scissors.

6. How to make a good lasting impression 👍

When trying to make a lasting impression, for instance, in an interview, try to be the first or last person they interview. This is because we usually remember the beginning and end of an event the best. Unfortunately, we forget the middle part pretty quickly.

You can use this to your advantage. For example, when trying to make a good lasting impression in a speech, make sure the beginning and the end of your speech are exciting and attention-grabbing. For instance, don't start by listing all the points you're going to go through during your speech. It's boring and will not grab your listeners' attention. Instead, try starting with a statement or even a joke.

6.1 How to get rid of a song stuck in your head 🎶

You can also use this technique to get rid of songs, that are stuck in your head. Our brains tend to remember the things that we've left unfinished. So to get rid of any earworm, think about the end of the song and you might get rid of it.

7. How to get (almost) everything you want 💰

We all have to negotiate from time to time. Unfortunately, many of us have never learned how to properly negotiate, hence, this is why it's even more important you know about this technique.

If you want to get the best out of every negotiation, use contrasts. Prior to the start of a negotiation, be clear about what your desired outcome is. Then, when it comes to placing an offer, set yours higher than the one you actually desire.

For instance, if you try to negotiate a salary with your new employer you could do it as follows:

• Research what would be an appropriate salary for your new job position
• Write that number down, let's say you found that 50k is what you'd like to achieve
• When it comes to negotiating your salary, start with a higher amount, for instance, 60k
• Your boss will most likely decline your offer (if not, that's great 😊)
• Go down with your offer to 55k
• Repeat and go slowly down to the outcome you want

Your desired outcome will most likely, compared to the contrast you've set, seem much smaller and acceptable to the negotiating person.

Make sure your starting offer isn't outrageously high, as this will make you seem insincere or manipulative. Also make sure you start with the first offer, as this sets the contrast to all the other biddings.

8. How to make people agree with you more often ✔️

There is a simple trick you can use, to make others agree with what you're saying more often. When asking a question or talking about something you want your conversation partner to agree with, nod slightly with your head while asking the question. Also, make sure to maintain eye-contact with the other person. This will subconsciously make them perceive your nodding as a sign that you agree with them.

This also works the other way around. If you talk about something you want the other person to disagree with, shake your head slightly from time to time, as if you were saying "no", to the person you're talking to.