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Psychology tricks are a powerful tool, and you should keep at least a few of them handy. There are high chances that you already use some of these. What's stopping you from using them, though?
Psychology researchers have tried to explore the way or brain functions and have found with relative success the way it responds to various stimuli. While we are unique, we tend to respond similarly to certain stimuli, which gives rise to being tricked by the brain.
Human psychology tricks that you should start using now
Psychology is so intricate that it enters every second of our lives. Psychology tricks influence and impact thoughts, feelings and behaviors, which are often not maladaptive in nature.
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Here are the top ten psychology tricks that you should know:
1) Mere exposure
If you have bought something off social media, you have got caught in the trap of mere exposure.
We're likely to show preference or liking for things that we have been exposed to in the past. Advertising and marketing love this effect, as they influence you into buying their products.
2) Confirmation bias
While this is not necessarily a trick to be used, it's important to be aware of this cognitive shortcut.
We all engage in confirmation bias, which is our tendency to seek information related to what feels true to us or is believed by us. What that does is that we ignore information that's contradictory to our belief, even if it's true.
3) Spotlight effect
It's considered that during our childhood years, we're often egocentric i.e. we think that the world is focused on us and also revolves around us.
However, this tendency also continues in adulthood as the spotlight effect. We feel like that people are paying attention to each of our moves, but in reality, the focus is much lesser than we think it is.
4) The Pygmalion effect
This is a technique that you can easily incorporate in your life. When you have higher expectations from yourself, you're likely to succeed in the performance. It's often known as self-fulfilling prophecy and can also work the other way around.
5) Reciprocity
The principle of reciprocity can help you reach your desired goals. These psychological tricks can be applied to your everday interactions and negotiations.
The idea is simple: start with small favours, and the other will be obliged to return them. That especially becomes prominent at the workplace. It's one of the most popular psychology tricks of persuasion.
6) Endowment effect
We tend to value something more, just because we own it. While that can be a good thing, the brain can get tricked into believing that it's the only good thing.
The psychological trick here is not to fall into this trap of endowment effect. Doing so can impact our ability to make economic decisions and make us overly possessive about our things.
7) Contrast effect
Psychology tricks are all about perception. When two options are presented to us successively, we tend to choose the latter over the other just owing to the order of presentation. That's especially important for the order in which it's presented. Persuasion tricks work almost every time.
8) Mirroring
Mirroring can be a powerful technique for you to connect to other people. That's especially true, when you're trying to establish communication with people.
A quick tip for you in interviews is to mirror the interviewer's verbal and non-verbal language. When you mirror yourself to the other, an unsaid connection gets established. This psychology trick can work wonders.
9) Social proof
In quiz competitions, individuals are given the option of audience poll. Irrespective of whether the audience is correct or not, most people go ahead with that option.
When you recognize social proof, you gain agency in the decision making processs. You learn to not follow the herd, and go with what you think is right.
10) Authority
Authority is often followed by conformity. By establishing authority, you don't necessarily become agressive or offensive; rather, you establish a power imbalance.
This imbalance can tip in your favor, as it allows you to get what you really want. This dark psychology trick can help you gain control over a group of people.
Psychology tricks are to be used to enhance your life and not for maladaptive reasons. While you may not choose to implement all the aforementioned ones, you will be able to spot psychology tricks when they're used by others.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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