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Our minds are magical. You can do anything you set your mind to. You can make up your mind, change your mind, or be in two minds. Something can be on our mind, be kept in mind, or slip our mind. Our minds can also go blank, or we can choose to take our minds off something. They can also be blown, bent, or boggled. And yet, despite all that, there’s still plenty we don’t fully understand about how they work.
That’s partly what makes the psychological tricks we’ve selected from a thread started by u/Organic_Guitar5266 so fascinating. Sure, most of them are sneaky, a little on the “dark” side, and involve genuinely messing with people. But many also reveal some of the strange little quirks and blind spots that influence how we think, see, and behave.
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#1
Silence. Its a very effective interview technique, because as humans we are conditioned to break silences in conversations.
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#2
When you are talking to someone, if you interrupt them and say walk with me in a busy tone and start walking away, they will walk with you and continue the conversation without hesitation. You can lead them wherever you want really.
#3
I worked with a friend who kept a twelve pack of Mountain Dew under his desk. For a while I’d sneak extra cans back into the box, not a lot and just enough that he was sure he drank more than the box would hold.
There’s a reason we’re so captivated by things that seem to mess with our minds. Just think of a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, sawing his assistant in half, or pulling a coin from behind your ear. You likely know there’s a trick involved, and yet, for at least that moment, it feels completely real. Why do we fall for it?
As Avery Hurt explains in Discover Magazine, there might be props involved, but those aren’t necessarily what make an illusion work. “The real magic,” she explains, “is in the minds of the audience.” That’s because, behind all the smoke and mirrors, there’s neuroscience at work.
#5
Immediately after they look at the time, ask them if they know what time it is. Chances are, they will have to look at the time again.
#6
Stare at their forehead while they are talking. It really freaks people out.
Jim was on to something.
As neuroscientist Eric Haseltine, author of Brain Safari, puts it, “All magicians know some brain science.” They can take advantage of the way our brains direct attention and interpret what we see. One famous example Hurt mentions is the “invisible gorilla” experiment, in which participants watched a video of people passing a basketball and were asked to count the passes. Roughly half failed to notice a person in a gorilla suit walking right across the middle of the scene.
It’s a memorable illustration of how our attention can be selective, allowing us to focus on what we expect to be important while overlooking something else entirely. As Haseltine puts it, “Magic works because your brain oversimplifies the world, seeing what it expects while blinding itself to what it doesn’t expect.”
#7
Hand them trash in a conversation. Usually, if you reach out with something the other person will take it and if they're busy talking to you they won't pay attention to what you're handing them. I do it sometimes for fun and the expression I get when they finally look down and realize I just handed them my trash to take care of is great.
#8
It's not really psychological, but let's say someone is 25 or 30 feet behind me while we're both walking down a hallway. There's a 90 degree corner coming up. I round the corner then run really quietly so I'm really far ahead of the person behind me, then I walk my normal speed again. When they round the corner, they're surprised to see how far away I am now compared to how normal I was walking.
#9
I forget the exact study, but basically in an office setting you can tell anyone anything and as long as it’s on an official memo, anywhere between 60-80% will comply. I think in the study they had it as “take this memo to [an isolated room]” and most people just. Did it.
Wild stuff.
But magicians aren’t the only people who can take advantage of the quirks of the human mind. Part of what makes psychological tricks so fascinating is the possibility that those same blind spots, expectations and assumptions can be exploited in our everyday interactions. And that can be pretty humbling.
We tend to think our perceptions are an accurate reflection of the world around us, so discovering that our attention can be redirected—or that we can overlook something happening right in front of us, even a whole gorilla—can feel a little like a revelation. Sometimes the most interesting part of a trick isn’t the trick itself, but realizing that our own minds made it possible.
#10
My boss handles stress terribly, so in one-on-ones, he tends to snap and spend the hour complaining about people. Some times people end up getting chewed out or yelled at in a meeting that’s supposed to be about their development.
When I first began in my department, he noticed me putting on perfume and said his wife wears the same one (it’s not anything fancy, just one that’s widely known).
Every time I go into my one-on-one with him, I apply the perfume right before. He generally speaks very softly to me and doesn’t snap at me like he does with others, and I’m pretty sure it’s because he smells me and thinks of his wife.
Messed up that it takes that to get a manager to treat you humanely, but it works.
#11
If you want to really mess with someone go up to them and ask them, “Hey do you ever get that creepy Deja vu feeling?” Then like a week later wear the same thing and ask them the same question. I’ve done this to so many people and their reactions are hilarious.
#12
Point out something that someone does all the time.
One of my coworkers would leave the office at the end of the day and forget his headphones. So he'd leave the office and have to run in again to grab them.
I told him I noticed he always forgot his headphones, and how he's self conscious about it and never forgets them anymore.
Maybe that’s why learning about psychological tricks is so appealing: not because we necessarily want to become better at manipulating other people, but because we want that little bit of awareness—to recognize when someone might be messing with us and understand why a tactic works when we encounter it. After all, as Haseltine notes, the cognitive biases that make magic possible can have a more serious side, too. For instance, he explains, “con artists also know how to exploit your expectations (and desires) to lead your brain down a garden path.”
#14
Wave to random people in public, and when they wave back look at them confused and point behind them.
They'll be crying about the awkwardness until they start their new life in another country.
#15
When meeting someone for the first time say oh hello again and shake their hand even if they go for like a high five transfer it into a handshake. They will not ask for your name or any information they will just think that you definitely know them from somewhere and they just forgot.
When someone deliberately uses the quirks of the mind to steer, unsettle, or manipulate another person, that’s where things start to feel a little darker. So as you go through this list, it’s perhaps worth asking: Is this something clever, something a little concerning, or maybe something you’ve already experienced without realizing? Chances are, you’ll find examples of all three—and that ambiguity might be where the real magic lies.
#16
Look distractedly at their nose or some part of their face, then scratch or rub the corresponding part on your own face. They'll supposedly get confused and think they have something on them.
This was from the book "Mind Control: The Ancient Art of Psychological Warfare" by the dubiously named Haha Lung. My emotionally unstable brother bought this book and I had to see what the hell he was actually reading. The author sounds like a nutcase through his writing.
#18
Say "have a good day" and then follow it with something applicable only to them. Then watch them say "thanks you too" only to realize what they said doesn't make sense.
I do this with Uber Eats drivers all the time, "have a great day, drive safe!" "Thanks, you too! Wait..."
#19
Not really “how to mess with someone”, but if you’re sitting on a bus or train and don’t want someone sitting next to you, don’t put your bag on the seat. Someone WILL ask you to move it so that they can sit down. Instead, as someone walks by, pat the empty seal whilst making direct eye contact with them and smiling. Works 9/10 times, but the one time it doesn’t work, good luck.
Edit: I know I put seal instead of seat, but I think it’s funny so I refuse to change it.
#20
With zero context, ask someone “who did they tell you that to?” Then just watch as pure confusion washes over their face. The sentence means literally nothing and it is fantastic.
#21
I took my kids and 2 of their friends to the skateboard park when they were about 8 and 10 years old. Some kid, who was about 12, was bullying them constantly. He was with 2 others. As an adult, I couldn't do a whole lot to the bully and I didn't want to see my group have to leave on account of this kid being a jerk.
So I told my oldest to just stare at the bully the next time he was approached by him, then say "Your one eye is higher than the other one" and then skateboard away. Then, one by one, the other 3 kids in my group all skated past him, stared, then turned to my kid and said "Ya, you're right". The bully went over to his 2 buddies and he must have asked them if it was true that his eyes were uneven.
They all stared at him for a minute. He started crying and left the park. I kinda felt a little bad for him but not as bad as I felt when he was being a jerk to my kids and their friends.
#23
Tell your family you're going to get cigarettes, and then never come back. Psychologically messed them up good.
#24
If you're close quartered with someone, you can intentionally choose one word out of the lexicon to mispronounce. Swear up and down that your way IS the correct way, and the correct way is actually the wrong but popular version. After months of intentionally mispronouncing the word "shrimp" my mother now says "Skrimp"
Its been 2 years and I can't undo this help.
#26
If somebody is talking and talking giving you no chance to say what you want to say drop something very loud on the floor then begin to talk.
#27
If you have access to their computer, take a screenshot of their desktop and set that screenshot as their new desktop image, then hide all the icons in a folder. They'll go nuts trying to click the images but they're just part of the wallpaper.
#28
I can make my pupils really big on command. It’s some weird thing.
So I’ll be having a conversation both looking at each other and slowly I’ll begin to increase the size of my pupils until it’s at the max and the person I’m speaking to will kinda stop the conversation and be all like ummm what?
#29
Adding "real quick" to the end of a request adds a sense of urgency that compels people to do whatever you tell them. Example: "Darry, give me your wallet real quick", and before you know it, Darry hands you his wallet.
#30
I had a friend that would casually eat a slice of American cheese while taking orders at a particularly rude table. Not say anything other than normally asking what they wanted to eat... bite of cheese. It would immediately make the guy trying to impress his date by being awful to the server totally docile because it was so awkward.
My favorite is the slight lean and making a face like you're farting. I only use it to mess with people, I don't actually fart. It'll derail *any* conversation.
#31
Especially in my teenage years it freaked people out to not react angrily to their tries of bullying/insulting you. At some point I even agreed with them on certain topics.... that got them extremely confused.
#32
When they are angry with you simply say, ' You seem upset. What's the matter?' Then smile.
(If that doesn't work. Punch them in the throat).
#33
Prolonged smiles. It stops people in their tracks. I personally love to do it when someone's chatting. You gaze directly into their eyes so they lock theirs on you in return and then plaster a ginormous grin on your face. Sometimes it directly gives the message you're unimpressed and they stop, if they don't, you continue to maintain eye contact and smile the exact same way, they'll become increasingly uncomfortable and lose their train of thought.
it's also good to use at random times. Sometimes I'll just smile for a long time at my friends and you're able to see them physically writhe in discomfort at it. Smiling in such a way gives people a massive sense of insecurity, no matter who you are because you feel the spotlight has unexpectedly been turned on you and you don't know why.
edit: the last paragraph is awkwardly worded, i don't purposefully give my friends insecurity or try to harm them. Within my friend groups it's all within good fun, the discomfort usually results in laughter at the breaking point of tension from both parties (with close friends).
It should go without saying that with people you aren't close with, it's not going to leave a good impression and will probably cloud their vision. You should only be doing this seriously to people you can't stand, or as a method of communicating disapproval in a situation where you can't speak without causing disruption (communal gatherings, customer service and the sort).
And of course, this method *is* provocative. It's fun and amazing when used correctly, but provocative none the less. Most of the time it'll shut people up, but if used against a volatile or vile person in general, it'll likely lead to an escalation. Just be aware of *who* you do this to if anything.
a safer but equally effective technique is pure silence, but this only works in a 1-1 conversation. Stop responding and they'll stop saying nonsense, but in a group of people (which is more likely) the smile is much better.
#34
When talking to them, stare at their nose and when they ask why youre staring at their nose tell them that you arent.
#35
Nursery rhymes, hum a few bars stop then start a few bars later and repeat.
If you pick one person and one song for that person it can be quite annoying especially done over a few days or weeks.
Had a group of Engineer overseers, three of them to be exact, that I would always use Three Blind Mice every time they got close. Ha, took them about 4 months to finally say please stop....
#36
Just walk past someone, act depressed, and say "please stop doing *that*"
It will eat at them.
#38
Play a game. Auction a $50 bill if everyone agrees to the simple rules. Highest bidder pays you what they bid and gets the $50 bill. Second highest bidder pays you whatever they bid and gets nothing. You will make money off the deal.
Edit: both the highest bidder and second highest bidder pay.
#39
If you turn your head to look at something people tend to mimic your behavior to see what you are looking at. It's instinctual. So I will look at random emptiness and if people look at where I am looking I ask "Do you see that?" When they say "No" I reply "I gotta take my meds." or something similar. Some people have lively reactions. It's fun to mess with people's heads.
#40
Before I argue or debate with a relative, I ask them what the criteria would be for them to change their mind. If they say there's no chance, then we talk about something else.
#41
When disagreeing with someone, try replacing "but" with "and".
It is remarkably disarming/disconcerting when the person you are arguing with stops arguing with you and you don't realize it.
#42
It's been proven that people will stand in a long queue. Even if they have no idea what it is for. People do it all the time at festivals and things. Start a queue with your friends in front of a trash bin or something innocuous. Then everyone just casually walks away after a load of people not in on the joke join the end of the queue.
#45
I bike commute to and from work. I’ve found that when drivers road rage towards me, nothing gets under people’s skin more than NOT being mad as well. When they yell, swear, honk, etc, all I do it laugh or do the crying pantomime and it usually sends people through the roof. They hate that I’m having a good time when they are raging.
#46
Kind of psychological.. Pin a spread out banknote to a dartboard over the bullseye
Tell someone if they hit it 3/3 times, they keep it. if they lose they owe you the equivalent amount
1st shot: they stand the standard distance away
2nd shot: they take a large step forward
3rd shot: they take 2 large steps backwards
Sounds easy, but most will fail miserably.
#47
When their talking glance at something behind them, go back to making eye contact immediately. Pause for a second then glance at the same spot again but make some subtle facial expression for a split second (like confused, concerned, intrigued, etc..). They'll probably look back, if they do ask them what they're looking at before they ask you.
#48
If you’ve been in a space in close proximity to a stranger (elevator, library, etc.) and neither of you have acknowledged each other or spoken, when you go to leave say “It was nice to meet you.” Then walk away.
#49
While in a conversation with someone just smoothly hand something over, they will automatically take it and vice versa if you take something from their hand they will automatically hand it over.
#50
Get someone's attention and then start a stopwatch. Casually shrug your shoulders and dont say anything. People dont know what they're being timed for and it freaks them out.
#51
You can classically condition someone to associate two things pretty easily. Say a particular phrase whenever a certain song comes on and eventually they'll associate the two, and always remember that phrase whenever they hear the song.
#52
So my fiancée is from the south and I am from the north and went to a Catholic school that absolutely drilled proper grammar into my mind for all time. My fiancée and her twin love to joke about my accent. So I flipped it on them and asked them to pronounce completely mundane words like Table, cloth, or dog and make a huge fuss about how they were saying things “wrong”.
At first they didn’t think I was serious but after about a week I overheard them trying to pronounce those words to each other and figure out how they are saying it wrong. They even asked google how to pronounce the words properly. After about a month I told them I was kidding because they were getting deeply concerned with how they speak and they both work in jobs where they routinely interact socially with a lot of people.
#53
The German Stasi used to break into dissidents houses and move all their furniture just like an inch in one direction to mess with them.
#54
During an argument, yell out stuff that doesn't make sense. Ask for money back you never gave, argue about things you kept to yourself. It derails the argument and confuses your opponent whilst they try to deal with arguments that don't make sense.
(I know this is narcissistic and horrible to do, it was happening to me for months. I could never reason with arguments and they would "win." It was a really effective tactic on a logical person like myself. ).
#56
Easiest way I know is when walking into an elevator, don't turn around and look at the door. Just stare at the wall in front of you after you hit your button. People get freaked out so easily bc you aren't doing what normal people always do and it messes with their head trying to figure out what you are doing it for.
#57
The silent treatment. The grey rock treatment. People become truly
unnerved when you don’t respond to them. It fun and easy even a child can learn to do it!
#58
If you want something from someone, like a favor, but you don’t think they’ll help, ask for more than what you want, knowing they’ll say no, then ask for what you really want. They will be more inclined to help with the lesser favor.
#60
I saw on one of these before that if the interlocutor you're talking with is engaged in what you're saying they'll accept whatever you physically offer them, like, hand them a eraser or maybe a pen.
If they don't notice and just hold it or put it away somewhere near but don't specifically ask about why you can just keep giving them bigger and bigger stuff, once they realize you're probably handing them a office chair or a computer screen.
#62
When talking to them, look barely above or below their eyes - not into them.
Call them a slightly different variation of their name and never fix it when corrected.
Part your hair to a different side (only works if you see them daily).
#63
When someone tries to play a dominance game with you at work, turn the tables on them.
I had an idiot who is supposed to correct my papers come up to my desk with one that had errors on it. Instead of working with me and being professional, she walked up to my desk and yelled loudly, "TELL ME WHY YOU GOT THIS THING WRONG!!"
Usually, a person gets flustered--which is exactly what they are looking for. Instead, turn it around: "So, you don't know?"
The rest of the conversation went something like this:
"TELL ME WHY YOU GOT THIS THING WRONG!!"
"So you don't know?"
"I DO KNOW! I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU GOT IT WRONG!!"
"Then tell me. I'm not here to play guessing games with you."
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FIND--"
"Lower your voice and come back when you're ready to work with me. I don't have time for guessing games with you." I turned away from her and focused on my work.
Completely took the steam out of her. It didn't improve our work relationship, but I was not going to be her target, either.
#64
Get your hands wet, then run up to a cutie and grab their hand and say, "Help! I dropped my pen in the toilet and couldn't reach it!".
#65
Sometimes when I'm talking to people I'll say every 3rd or 5th word with a slight British accent. It's not really enough for them to be sure so they cant say anything. I get a sadistic pleasure from watching the confusion on their faces grow.
#66
When someone says “have a nice day” respond with “don’t tell me what to do” while not smiling in the least. I’ve gotten hilarious results.
#67
Ask a group of friends to think of any number between 1 and 10 individually.
Get them to say the number out loud all at the same time.
Normally they would all say something different and you can just laugh it off as a mistake...
...or they could all say the exact same number (and it totally freaks everyone out). It's just chance - but if it works they will be completely psyched out!
#68
Be grateful for everything. That mental shift will leave you happy and that really confuses people.
#69
When someone you (barely) know says something genually smart, tell them with a smile, and a pat on the back.
- Hey! I dont care what everyone else says about you. I think that your very smart!
OR when someone is painting a fence, or doing construction or something along those lines, just stand behind them for a while, and look like you really are interested in their work, dont say anything until you get their full attention.
Then say
- I dont care what the others say, this lookes fine to me.
#70
Using positive reinforcement to get someone to like you (which is universally used in relationships tbh)
You can also encourage a person to not date or lose interest in another person (like their bf or gf) by simply encouraging the person to "work" things out with them or over encouraging their relationship, this works on certain types of people. It's like if you wre gonna clean your room and your mom tells you to clean it, you suddenly don't feel like cleaning it anymore.
Basically you make their relationship or love interest seem like a chore instead of something they actually want.
If you attempt these things remember it can backfire.
#72
Ask someone “what word is spelt S-H-O-P?” They’ll say “shop” then ask them what you do at a green light.
This works way better than the whole “say stop 5 times” etc. Try it :).
#73
I use this trick all the time when someone is yelling at me over the phone.
Stay completely silent.
Don't ignore them and speak when spoken to but when they are talking, nothing. No "uh-huh"s, no "mmm"s, no "I see". Nothing. Deprive them of all subconscious feedback.
You really have to work at it because humans naturally try to feed off one another verbally in conversation. The other person will quickly sense that something is wrong in the conversation and it usually throws them off track enough that they stop ranting or yelling and tell you what they actually want.
Best way to shut someone up without being rude. Semiotics professor taught it to me.
It works just as well in person but, face-to-face, you have to also avoid nodding, moving your hands and you have to look them directly in the eyes.
#75
Stare an their forehead just between and slightly above the eye-line while talking to someone. It throws them off their game and they have a harder time lying to you or trying to influence you. There is a term for the style but I am too lazy to look it up.
#76
Ask someone if they know ALL the words to “I’m a little teapot” (emphasis on the word ALL). Vast majority of the time, grown a*s adults will start singing “I’m a little teapot.”.
#77
Give someone a sincere compliment during an argument.
If they are decent people, It'll throw them off guard. They will then feel inclined to be more pliable.
#78
I have a nervous habit of acting like everything is normal when it's not. I don't do it to mess with people intentionally but it does have that effect. I had a boss who was yelling at me (he was that way, I hadn't really done anything wrong), and I kept talking slow sips of my coffee throughout and that really triggered him. I crack up when I think back on him getting all fired up, turning red, then purple, then screaming that I needed to stop drinking coffee.
#79
One of my bosses feels the need to contradict anything I say, no matter how benign. She gets in "moods", should probably see a therapist.
When she does this I just start agreeing with whatever she says but I phrase it a little differently, and make my tone slightly argumentative, but I'm basically a parrot. Sure enough she'll contradict what I say. So I do it again, agreeing with her new statement. We can go on like this for a long time. She argues with herself. It doesnt help anything but I find it amusing. Its the conversational equivalent of my brother grabbing my hand and smacking me in the face with it whilst saying "why are you hitting yourself ? Stop hitting yourself.".
#81
As a teacher:
During a test look over one of the students shoulder, reading what they are writing.
Then say out loud: "Make sure you are reading the questions right!".
#82
If you're annoyed that someone is staring at you stare back. Hold eye contact and don't let go. If they're still staring even after this *shoot them a kiss*, usually gets them to look away.
Edit: This works better on the same gender
u/klop422 also recommended trying winks as well.
A wink and a kiss, I don't know who could keep a straight face.
#84
When in a position of power, offer the person under you a choice of responsibility. This gives them a greater sense of importance because you, a superior, offered it to them before others.
I worked as a camp counselor and this method worked wonders.
#85
When talking to someone face-to-face, randomly look over their shoulder with a growing look of horror. Once they have checked to see what you were looking at and have turned back around to face you, continue speaking normally. Ignore any expressions of puzzlement.
#86
Call them something they are wearing by choice.
"Whatever you say, turtleneck..."
"Sure thing, pink shorts"
#87
What does Y-E-S spell?
“Yes”
What does E-Y-E-S spell?
Most of the time they’ll say e-yes, it worked on my wife and I busted out laughing. It took her a solid 5 minutes and called me a jerk.
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