Our daily lives are filled with more behavioral patterns than we realize. Quite a few of these patterns occur on a subconscious level. Here are a few psychological hacks that can tweak these habits and patterns to your advantage. Now, none of these are going to perform magic, but they can definitely make your life a little easier.
Kill ‘em with Kindness
The first psychological hack is one of the most classic. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re communicating with an upset or angry person, don’t become a mirror of their attitude or behavior. Instead, respond with overt kindness. This one is especially useful if you’re in customer service.
If a patron is unhappy (or basically just a jerk) respond with a kind, gentle, and deliberate tone. By slowing the situation down, you can defuse a tense environment by providing space, breathing room, and kindness. This one is a classic because it almost always works. When it doesn’t work, the rude person looks like an even bigger jerk because they’re being aggressive to a reasonable person. Either way, you win.
Self-Reflect
This next psychological hack plays off of killing them with kindness. A mirror behind a counter at a bar or restaurant forces consumers to be vitally aware of themselves and the way they look while they are acting like a jerk. If you’ve ever wondered why most bars have mirrors behind the counter, this is one of the reasons.
Bartenders who are dealing with unruly or downright mean customers can simply step slightly to the side and quickly break eye contact. This forces the patron to look at their snarling faces, and hopefully shames them into acting a bit more civil. After all, if you’re grabbing a drink at a bar, life can’t be that bad.
The Sidewalk Dance
We’ve all done the sidewalk dance. You know, you’re walking down a sidewalk or hallway and an invisible tractor beam causes you and another person to practically walk into each other. You swerve left, they move right, so you move right, and they move left. It’s an odd dance, and one we’re all familiar with.
Hack the shuffle by gazing intently over the persons shoulder. This lets them know where you’re going and they’ll naturally drift towards the opposite side, letting you both pass unobstructed.
The Silent Treatment
The silent treatment is one of the greatest psychological hacks to use when you want or need more information from someone. If you think someone is being dishonest or withholding, simply ask them a direct question, maintain eye contact, and remain silent. The overwhelming silence is usually enough to force honesty or the complete story. This also works well in negotiations. Once you’ve made your case, or stated your position, you should remain silent. This gives you the power and forces the other party to a position of weakness and capitulation.
Hack Your Life
The world can be tough to navigate. Give yourself a little edge by implementing these psychological hacks. They can help you navigate tricky professional and personal situations, and make your life a little better.