The following psychological hacks will help you be more successful at work, in social situations and life in general. These psychology tricks have been continuously practiced by successful people. They will allow you to gain important advantages and more control of potential outcomes in various areas of your day-to-day life. Let’s uncover these clever psychology hacks that will help you be more confident at school, work and play!

Number 1 - Give a Gift If you want to change other people’s behavior towards you in a positive way, offer something for free. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, even small gifts can make a significant impact on people’s behavior towards you. For instance, if you give a little gift to someone who doesn’t like you much, they may find you desirable! And just like giving a gift, doing a favor can change someone’s perception about you. You will seem desirable, approachable and more helpful than ever!

Number 2 - Pay Attention To Laughter Want to find out which people are closest to each other within a group, or wanna know who likes you the most? Pay attention to who is looking at who when everyone in the group laughs at a joke. People instinctively look at and agree with the person they feel closest to within a group. This little psychology trick is not only helpful to spot people who like you, but also a nice way of figuring out who is secretly in a relationship or have a deep affection for each other.

Number 3 - Move Next To An Aggressor We’ve all been in situations where out of nowhere the conversation starts to escalate… Unless you love drama, I would suggest that you avoid these situations. You might have the best argument in the world, but usually people get irritated when they feel they are wrong. So, whenever you feel that an argument you’re having creates tension, simply sit or stand next to the other person! You won’t appear to be as much of a threat, and they will eventually calm down.

Number 4 - Pay Attention To Feet By closely observing the feet of someone you’re talking to, you’ll be able to tell immediately how interested or comfortable they are. For example, if you’re talking to a person whose feet are pointed towards you, you can safely assume that they’re interested in the conversation. If on the other hand, their feet are pointed away from you, they’re subconsciously communicating that they do not want to talk to you for much longer. If someone’s feet are pointing towards the door, this could mean that they’re intending to leave and you’re holding them back!

Number 5 - Mirror Body Language If you subtly mimic the body language of the person you’re talking to, you can effectively build up trust with them. By mirroring the way they speak and how they move, they’ll like you more, because to them, you’ll seem more compatible. This so-called “chameleon effect” can not only facilitate the smoothness of social interactions, but it can also increase liking between those who interact. To put it simply, we enjoy speaking to those who mimic our postures, facial expressions, and other behaviors.

Number 6 - The Power Of Silence Have you ever found yourself in a situation where someone asked you about something you’d rather not tell? It’s pretty safe to assume that we’ve all been in situations like this countless times. However, there’s a way to get people to reveal more than they intend to! One psychology hack to accomplish this is to simply make use of the power of silence. If you’re not satisfied with an answer somebody gives you, remain silent and keep looking at them. Usually, the combination of awkward silence and firm eye contact will pressure them to bridge the silence by revealing more.

Number 7 - Use Subliminal Signals This one is extremely powerful and also a bit manipulative, especially if the person is suggestive. So use it responsibly and in an ethical way. Getting a positive response from someone is usually what we want. Whether it is making a sale, or promoting a viewpoint, we always want people to get on board. Nodding while you try to deliver your message is a powerful way to get the person to agree with you. People usually like mimicking, so they will most probably nod back while you talk. This will subsequently communicate to their brains that they have to agree with you!

Number 8 - Create A False Attribution Of Arousal This psychological hack comes in real handy when you’re dating! The next time you go on a date with someone, make sure that it involves some adrenaline. Take them somewhere exciting to get their heart beating. For instance, go on a roller coaster ride, or go watch a horror film. Basically, any activity that involves adrenaline will psychologically trick your date into thinking that their arousal is attributed to you, rather than the activity!

Number 9 - Provide A Choice Whenever you want someone to make a decision that you prefer, give them a choice that lies within the frame of your decision. For example, if you want children to do something, don’t ask them if they want to. Most likely, they don’t want to do it anyways. Instead of asking, “Do you want some vegetables,” give them an option to choose from, by simply saying “Do you want broccoli or do you prefer some of those delicious baby carrots.” The kids will feel as if they have a great amount of control by being allowed to choose, even though you’ve already made the decision for them. Not only does this clever little hack work with children, it also helps you get your way with adults alike –your waiter does it to you all the time!

Number 10 - Use Passive Voice In research writing, passive voice can be lousy and inappropriate. But in social interaction, being passive can help a lot to maintain cohesiveness and rapport. Thus, instead of saying, “You did not send me the book,” say, “The book wasn’t sent.” Notice the difference between the two sentences. The first one sounds like a blame, while the second one focuses on the object – in this case, the book, and not the person. By using passive voice, you can easily avoid confrontation and conflict.

Number 11 - Call People By Their Name Remembering names is very important because we feel important when someone mentions our name. Therefore, calling people by their name can make them like you instantly, and it will establish a sense of trust and friendship right away. As difficult as it may seem, if you can get into the habit of not only remembering someone's name upon meeting them, but using their name in the subsequent conversation you have, they'll find you charming and wonderful.

Number 12 - The Power of Touch Touch is a powerful tool that helps people understand emotions better. Touching someone on the shoulder or their knees creates an emotional and physical bond. Especially during moments of joy, laughter and excitement, touching positively reinforces these traits. This will help to prove the sincerity of your words, express the right emotions, and help you gain the trust of others.

Number 13 - Make Others Repeat Jokes Most jokes cease to be funny when they need to be repeated, and you can use this to your advantage. If someone is telling a joke at your expense, act as if you didn’t hear the joke correctly. Ask them to repeat it for you! Once they’re done repeating the joke, it’s no longer as funny as it was the first time. Alternatively, you could also pretend that you didn’t get the joke. Ask them to explain what’s so funny about it. Having to explain a joke is even worse than having to repeat it!

Number 14 - Ask For Help The Right Way Just admit it, we all love getting others to do stuff for us. Whether we really need the help, or we’re just being lazy. Social dynamics show that when it comes to platonic relationships, nobody really likes an asshole. So whenever you need a favor, start your sentence with “I need your help.” In most cases, people will accept your request and will help you. Mainly because people don’t like the guilt of not helping someone out, and besides, it feels good to be able to help.

Number 15 - Give Validation Most of our actions are the outcome of our need for validation. So what is the best way to get people to like you? Give them what they want… of course! Next time you’re in a conversation with someone and they say something that’s really important to them, rephrase what they just said in your own words. This will make them think that you are a good listener and that you are really interested in them. It also makes them feel important. And that’s validation right there! Now that you know some of these psychological tricks, do keep in mind that the purpose of these is not necessarily to manipulate people. Rather, it’s to help you understand, when, and where you and others are most vulnerable psychologically. What kind of psychology tricks do you use? What seems to work the best for you? Leave your thoughts below.