11 psychological tricks to get people to do what you want
Rishi Chourasia
11 psychological tricks to
get people to do what you want
You don't 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 you've persuaded them.
We've rounded up 11 science-backed strategies for getting people to like you,
to buy stuff, and to give you what you're 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 you're 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 you're 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 someone's 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 you're thanked for helping out, Cialdini
advises saying something like, "Of course, it's what partners do for each
other," instead of "no problem," so they feel like they're
expected to do the same for you.
. Mimic
people's body language to get them to like you. The
next time you're trying to impress a hiring manager or the object of your
affection, try subtly mimicking the way they're sitting and speaking - they'll
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 weren't 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 you're saying.
On the contrary, when you're delivering an argument
that your audience agrees with, it helps to speak more slowly, so they have
time to evaluate the message.
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 condition, 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 they're tired to get them to cooperate. An
alert mind may express some doubt when approached with a request. Yet someone
who's tired or distracted will likely be less critical, and will simply accept
what you say as true.
So if you're planning to ask a coworker to help out with a project that will
supposedly only take an hour, it's best to ask at the end of a workday. That
way, they'll be drained from the day's tasks and won't have the mental energy
to realize that the project will probably take up more of their time.
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 you're 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 they're 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 to vote in tomorrow's election?" and
"How important is it to you to be a voter
in tomorrow's election?" Results showed that participants in the
"voter" condition were more likely to cast their ballots the next
day.
That's 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
policeman's whistle while crossing the street were more likely to agree to
complete a questionnaire than people who didn't hear anything.
That's 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
they're about to gain as opposed to what they're losing. For example, if you're
trying to sell a car, you should say, "I'll give you my car for
$1,000," instead of, "I want $1,000 for the car."
That way, you'll persuade your
partner to see things from a different perspective, and they'll probably be
more likely to concede.
Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48775869.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
