15 Psychological Tricks to Watch Out For



hey everyone and welcome to top think today we’re going to learn about 15 psychological tricks to watch out for now let’s begin number one playing the clock this common psychological technique is used by countless salesmen not only does it wear their customers down but it weakens their resolve until a no slowly turns into a yes the trick itself is extremely simple you just keep someone in one location for as long as you can each time they try to leave you find a new reason to keep them around you pass them on to a different salesman and then you give them another more enticing pitch you bring in your manager or someone with authority and even if you’ve said no a dozen times a salesman only needs one yes to make a sale so many salesmen will play the clock instead of accepting the fact that you’re just not interested eventually they may stall you out they throw so many convincing details at you that you start to change your mind and you say yes simply because you just want to leave it’s not the most ethical strategy in the world but a sale is a sale so don’t let a savvy salesman manipulate you with this psychological trick number two calculated affirmation if someone wants you to like them body language is a powerful tool a smile or nod may convince you that you’re making a great impression or that someone is interested in what you have to say but these body language cues are easy to fabricate especially if someone wants to get on your good side for example many people use body language to show how intently that they’re listening to you even if they really don’t care what you have to say so how can you tell the difference some people pick out one word or phrase and nod every time you use it this psychological trick manipulates your impression of this person and shows you that someone cares even if they don’t so don’t let anyone fool you with fake body language number three mirroring mirroring is another way people use body language to their advantage but if you’re not paying close attention this psychological technique will fly under your radar mirroring is when someone mimes your behavior to create a better impression but people also use mirroring to make themselves seem more convincing likable or memorable if you think someone is copying your behavior try to find the reason why do they just want to connect with you or are they trying to make you believe something that you normally wouldn’t but mirroring isn’t the only manipulative technique out there some people will try to influence your opinion by nodding their heads as you answer or smiling every time you say something they like all these techniques use body language to change your opinions so watch out for these powerful psychological tricks number four emphasizing gains emphasizing gains is another way people may try to influence you emphasizing gains means framing every deal in terms of profit are you going to make more money are you going to live a better lifestyle the more positive things they tell you well the easier it’ll be to change your mind but don’t let these gains pull the wool over your eyes pay attention to the positives and the negatives and remember that people don’t always tell you the whole truth number five expensive decoys many salesmen use decoys to charge customers more than they expected to spend all right let’s say you want to buy a tv for around five hundred dollars but you see one at the front of the store for two thousand dollars oh it’s loaded with all kinds of special features but it’s way out of your price range you mention this to a salesman who tells you they have a similar tv that’s a thousand dollars less of course you jump at the idea who wouldn’t want to save a thousand dollars right but you didn’t actually save a thousand dollars did you in fact you went five hundred dollars over your budget you walked into the store with a price in mind but you fell for the decoy and you spent way more than you expected number six speedy arguments many people try to win arguments by talking quickly the goal is to give your opponent less time to process what you’re saying which makes you seem more convincing but this psychological trick rarely works if you know what to look for when someone is rushing don’t fall for this sloppy argumentative style more often than not your opponent is rushing because they know their argument is weak so slow the conversation down be analytical and make sure you’re going through every detail and nine times out of ten you’ll win the argument number seven implied urgency this is another common sales technique imagine you’re buying a car you express interest in a model that’s waiting outside but you’re not sure if it’s right for you suddenly the salesperson tells you the car is only going to last through the end of the week out of nowhere you feel compelled to buy that car why because your brain is drawn to things that are limited and special it wants what it can’t have so giving you a deadline sparks your interest tenfold whenever you’re making a purchase make sure urgency isn’t clouding your judgment take a step back think through your decision and then make your move number eight afternoon slump do you get tired and lethargic in the afternoons your coffee’s worn off you’re exhausted after a long day at work uh and you’re ready to go home naturally your brain isn’t as focused in these tired hours of the day some people will take advantage of your exhaustion at the end of the day your resolve tends to weaken you’re more susceptible to pressure and you’re less focused on the impact of your decisions so watch out for people who prey on your impulsive decisions if someone needs you to make a decision tell them you’ll handle it in the morning number nine starting small has a friend ever asked you for money did you give it to them when asking for favors or borrowing money people use a common trick to take advantage of their lenders all right let’s say i needed 20 bucks but instead of asking you for 20 i ask you for a hundred you say that’s way too much so i say okay could i just borrow twenty dollars then suddenly twenty dollars doesn’t seem like much at all which means you’re much more likely to lend it to me this powerful trick can be used on anything from errands to paperwork so just keep an eye out for this misleading psychological technique number 10 reframing questions a good salesman will continuously reframe their questions to increase the likelihood of a sale all right here’s one popular example a salesman might ask you how much are you willing to pay instead of telling you directly how much something is worth they let you name your price and most of the time customers overshoot the actual price so they end up paying more than they bargain for number 11 decision trapping you can also reframe questions like this a salesman may say if i could get this price down a hundred dollars would you be willing to buy this item right now by reframing this question the salesman is trying to trap you into a decision they act like they’re trying to help you but they’re really using your own words against you many people end up purchasing the items simply because they feel trapped so remember that you always have the power to say no just because they lowered the price for you hey that doesn’t mean you have to make that purchase number 12 closing in what other ways can someone get closer to you or to get on your good side they may hover around you as often as they can unknown to you your brain caters to the most familiar people and faces in your life so the more time you spend around someone the better you’ll treat them and the same goes for nearness if someone wants to stay in your favor they’ll go out of their way to sit closer to you and your brain will unconsciously reward them number 13 preying on fears after making a large purchase many salesmen keep pushing they’ve just taken a huge chunk of your money but they still want a little more so they may take advantage of your fears to tack on a higher price tag alright let’s go back to our previous example after purchasing a car you’re rarely done spending money instead the salesman may continue to push add-ons and extras each item is another hundred or a thousand tacked onto the original price and do they add up fast but if you try to say no they’ll remind you how much money you just spent on your car they’ll tell you how easy it is to get in an accident or to get a big scratch that you’ll never be able to fix and just like that the salesman is using your worries against you number 14 intentional confusion sometimes people say confusing things on purpose confusion is one of many methods to manipulate other people if you’re selling something or just need a favor a confusing request may trick people into taking more than they bargained for so don’t get caught up in all those confusing details before you agree to anything make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into and that way you’re never blindsided by your own misunderstanding number 15 displaying extremes how would someone convince you that you’re wrong they might twist your words by emphasizing the most extreme version of your perspective whether it’s political economic or philosophical extremes make any viewpoint seem ridiculous or ill-informed this misconception turns people against their own opinions winning the argument almost instantly but you don’t have to fall for this psychological trick pay attention to the ways people twist words because they’re twisting them for a reason hey thank you for watching top think and be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way

Advertisements

What do you think?

How to Memorize Anything 10X Faster!

12 Tips to Build Unbreakable Self-Discipline