“If You’re Suffering From Racing Thoughts, Use The 333 Rule”: This Guy Shares 30 Psychology Hacks He Wants People To Know
TikTok tends to get a reputation of being filled with fun dance videos, cute animal videos, and silly trends, but the app can also be used for learning. There are many creators who teach their viewers about history, social issues, skills like cooking or playing instruments, and even science. One such TikToker, Adorian Deck or “The Facts Guy”, has a video series titled “Psychology Hacks You Need To Know”, and we thought you pandas might be interested in refreshing or expanding your knowledge of basic psychology.
This list won’t teach you as much as a psychology course in a university would, but it might spark your interest in the field or teach you some tips to implement in your everyday life. Keep reading to also gain some insight on the topic from psychologist and professor Dr. Lynne Kennette, and be sure to upvote the fun facts you find most useful or fascinating. Feel free to share any more psychology “hacks” you know in the comments, and then if you’d like to continue your education, you can find another Bored Panda article on the same topic right here. Image credits: adoriandeckTikToker Adorian Deck has been sharing fascinating psychology facts that you might want to implement into your life
You can watch the first video in his "Psychology Hacks You Need To Know" series right here
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If someone is trying to make you decide something in a hurry, they're probably giving you a bad deal. Walk away.
Or it's the end of the sales month/quarter/year and they're desperate to make quota. Lowball 'em!
If you're suffering from racing thoughts, use the 333 rule: name three things you see, three things you hear and three parts of your body. This will help center your mind and bring you back to the present.
It’s a grounding technique. For those who have trouble try touching a couple things with different textures focusing on the sensation. Or try holding an ice cube in each hand for a moment, maybe the count of 10. Do not do it long because you can hurt your hands on the ice. Also helpful for flashbacks.
If someone is making jokes at your expense, act like you can't hear them and ask them to repeat it a few times. By the time they say it the third or fourth time, nobody's laughing.
Having a basic understanding of psychology would be useful to every single one of us. It can help us become more empathetic, understand how to work through our personal issues and learn how to more effectively communicate with others. And while Adorian’s videos are great to learn quick tips and fun facts, the field of psychology is incredibly nuanced, so we wanted to gain some insight about “psychology hacks” from an expert.
We reached out to psychologist and professor Dr. Lynne Kennette, who shared with us how she feels about “psychology hacks” circulating online. We asked whether she considers these videos to be a positive, as people are sharing interest in psychology, or if she is wary of the trend, as these types of videos could allow for false information to be spread. “On the one hand, it's great to get people interested in psychology using this type of ‘hack’ or ‘quick facts’; maybe it will lead them to taking a course at a local college or university,” she shared.
If you're procrastinating right now, stop telling yourself that you have loads of work to do. Instead, just tell yourself you only have to work for five minutes. You will most likely continue to work even after five minutes.
As someone with depression, this helps a lot. I set a timer and can usually get thro the countdown before I have to take a break.
If you can't get a song out of your head, try to listen to it the whole way through while singing. Your brain is treating the song like an unfinished task in your subconscious.
If you think someone is watching you, fake a yawn and then watch them.
But Dr. Kennette also wants to remind viewers that they should still check the facts they hear online. “Anyone can say anything they want on platforms like TikTok, and it isn't necessarily based in science,” she explained. “When psychological scientists publish their research, it is reviewed by other experts to ensure the research was rigorous and that the results/conclusions are valid based on the experimental design.”
“Although I don't know this particular TikTok user or his credentials, I know that most of what he has presented is based on some of the principles taught in an introductory psychology course (e.g., what we know about the science of motivation- Daniel Pink has a great book called Drive which speaks to many of these aspects),” Dr. Kennette added. “So, these types of hacks are entertaining, but before making some major changes in your life, make sure to read peer-reviewed scholarly articles on the topic, because with most topics in psychology, there is evidence to support competing theories/advice.”
When someone apologizes for something that you don't feel like was that big of a deal to apologize for, they're probably telling you subconsciously what actually bothers them if it was done to them. If they apologize for interrupting you, they probably really just don't like being interrupted themselves.
That's very understandable and good to remind ourselves that may be the case.
Plan something fun for every Wednesday that you can look forward to. You'll start looking forward to it on Monday and by the time it's here, you’ll already be halfway through the week and you're that much closer to the weekend.
After you've learned something new and you've done it yourself, the fastest and best way to retain that information is to teach somebody else.
This is true. You remember 90% of what you can teach. It’s something like 10% of what you hear, 20% of what you read, 30% of what you say, 40% of what you write, 50% of watching an example, 60% of doing it yourself, etc. all the way to 90% of what you teach. (I don’t remember the exact order of things or the exact percentages, but that’s the general concept).
We were also curious if Dr. Kennette would like to see the average person taking an interest in psychology, even though we can’t all be experts. “Absolutely! One of the things that makes psychology so interesting is that it can be applied to pretty much any aspect of everyday life,” she noted. “For example, the fundamental attribution error shows that we tend to underestimate situational factors when attributing the cause of others' behaviors (but not our own). So when someone cuts you off on the highway, you're more likely to think it's because they're a jerk (internal attribution) rather than because their wife is in labor (situational),” Dr. Kennette explained. “When you cut someone off, it's because you're in a hurry (situational) not because you're a jerk. So being aware of these psychological principles at work in our everyday lives can help us to more accurately evaluate people and situations, and then act in a more appropriate way.”
When someone in a group of people laughs, they tend to look at the person that they like the most.
Nervousness and excitement have the same body reaction. So if you're nervous for a speech, try to convince yourself that you're actually excited.
Chewing gum can help you when you're nervous because your brain thinks, well, I'm eating, I must not be in danger.
It's to do with your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Your sympathetic nervous system prepares you for fight-or-flight by making changes to your body, one being making you less hungry/inclined to eat. So eating could trigger your parasympathetic nervous system to bring hunger back and reduce fight-or-flight.
We also asked Dr. Kennette if she had any “quick psychology facts” to share that she thinks everyone should know. “I think one of the areas that isn’t talked about enough is how unreliable our memory is,” she noted. “It is reconstructive, so it’s not really like a camera, but more like Wikipedia, where other people and external information can change it without us being aware of it.” Dr. Kennette also mentioned that there are some great TEDTalks on this topic by Elizabeth Loftus; if you’re interested, you can find one right here.
Whenever you are introducing a new idea to someone, if you lead with the words “this might not be for you,” it naturally engages the person's interest and makes them feel like it probably is for them.
Someone says that to me I tell them they are probably right and change the subject to something like "why people think they can manipulate me."
If someone's starting to have a panic attack, start breathing loudly and regularly. The person that is panicking will subconsciously start breathing with you.
If you want to make someone uncomfortable, look at their forehead while you're talking to them.
I have a hard time maintaining eye contact so I start at other parts of the face or behind someone. Had no idea they felt uncomfortable before reading this
If you're looking to learn even more psychological facts, Dr. Kennette recommends reading a free open source textbook, such as one found on OpenStax, watching some TED Talks, or signing up for a course (often free on platforms such as Coursera). “At least with these sources (TEDTalks, OpenStax, Coursera), you can be confident that the content is from an expert in the field (typically someone with a PhD),” she noted.
If you take an extra moment to look at somebody's eye color when meeting them, you'll be giving the perfect amount of eye contact.
Showing the palms of your hands while talking to someone subconsciously communicates that you have nothing to hide and you can be trusted.
Subtly nodding when someone is talking to you indicates to that person that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say and they're going to like you more.
Or you just aren’t paying any attention and you don’t want to come off as rude
“Sometimes psychology is perceived as ‘common sense’,” Dr. Kennette added. “Like, why do we need to study this- it's obvious, but many outcomes of research actually go counter to our intuitive sense of what we think will happen,” she explained. “So it's important to study these topics (and also replicate the results of our studies in different populations and different conditions) to ensure they are ‘true’ representations of our human realities.”
If you need to remember to do something tomorrow, just put something in your room out of place the next day; you'll see this item out of place and it will remind you of what you associated it with.
If you ask someone to do a small favor, their subconscious mind will register that they like you because they're doing a favor for you.
If you get someone to agree to a small favor, they’re more likely to agree to a bigger one. It’s called foot in the door. Conversely, if you ask someone for a ridiculously big favor and they reject you (of course) when you ask for the small favor you really wanted they’re more likely to agree. It’s called door in the face.
If you can get someone to contribute to the idea, they are more likely to accept it.
Have you learned anything new about yourself or others from this list? We hope you’re feeling inspired to start doing a bit more research about psychology on your own time. Keep upvoting the tips from Adorian that you plan to implement into your life, and feel free to share any more psychology “hacks” in the comments down below. Then, if you’re looking to learn even more about psychology, you can find a few more Bored Panda articles on similar topics right here, here and here.
If you want somebody to open up to you more, ask them a question and if they only partially answer it, keep eye contact and stay silent. It will pressure them to talk more.
If you want to be more persuasive, try and lose the words “I think” and “I believe.”
Also, genuinely consider the opposite side of your argument. It can help you prepare to deal with those points to strengthen your argument. PS, don’t do this in a relationship. Don’t try to win the fight with your significant other. Try to find a solution for both of you. Trying to see their side or from their point of view is also helpful in this case, but not to tear their argument apart, but to understand each other. It’s not SO vs SO, it’s you two vs the problem.
When someone remembers you, they are most likely to think about the first time and the last time that they saw you. So make sure to leave a good last impression as well.
....uh, not for me? I just remember the significant parts of my time with them.
If there is a mirror behind somewhere where you're ordering, it is less likely that you're going to be rude because nobody wants to see themselves as rude.
The reason that back bars had mirrors comes from the wild West days. It's so the bartender can keep an eye on the customers and not get shot in the back.
If you whisper to someone, it's likely that they'll whisper back even when they have no reason to keep their voice down.
If you're trying to get over a breakup, do not use fictional scenarios. Imagining your person with someone new is only going to make you more angry and sad about something that's not even real.
That seems like it would be so painful for someone to experience, but I could see how a person could let their imagination get the best of them at times.
People who are lying normally blink more than usual, hide the palms of their hands, mess with their hair or appearance and use either abnormally long or short sentences.
Or they're just anxious when they feel watched and scrutinized because they're introverts. You cannot judge people by short interactions, you need to know them and be able to compare how they usually act.
Yes! My favourite response I’ve ever seen to this was something like “shut up ugly, I’m an abuse survivor and I get anxious because in the past when I displeased someone I got BEATEN UP.”
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From someone who has CPTSD and anxiety and dry eyes (from allergies) PLEASE do NOT take this as a golden rule. I subconsciously blink a lot to keep eyes moist. I subconsciously fidget with hair or clothing when anxious. And I doubt I have palm in open position as I am always scanning for danger. I have nothing to hide but I subconsciously am weary you might. I work very hard on my mental health. Misinformation about certain behaviors can be harmful
Fellow CPTSD, I hope this “psychologist” suffers every inconvenience possible for the rest of his life.
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I'd take this with a grain of salt. People can have such behavior for various other reasons, so don't rush into labelling them as liars. Also, I've seen good liars who didn't show any of these signs
For real. The biggest con artists know how to schmooze.
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I think that's people who care that they're lying. People who don't care will just act normal
yeah, not for me at least. i do use a lot of hand motions, but often over-explain or have no context when i’m talking. i also can’t make eye contact with anyone, and i have anxiety, depression, and perhaps a touch of the ‘tism so yeah
This is protective and self-soothing behaviour. Essentially how someone behaves when they feel nervous or threatened. It could be because they are scared of someone seeing through a lie... or just that something else is making them feel very uncomfortable and unsafe.
The FBI did a study about this, and found it to be completely unreliable.
I hate speaking in front of others, especially if I don't know them super well, so I'll mess with my hair, scratch my neck, look to the left, play with my necklace and do whatever else I can, to distract myself from wanting to die. Doesn't mean I'm lying, though, just that I'm super nervous.
Countless studies have shown there is no surefire way (non-verbal cues) of knowing someone is lying. There are differences in upbringing, cultures, personalities, etc.
It's called being nervous. Habitual liars do not behave in this manner when they are lying.
Watch left side of neck. When lying (especially about something big) and feeling guilt adrenaline kicks in and jugular will start pumping blood. You will literally see it twitching.
Thank you for pointing this out, I will note this down so I can convince people that no, I'm not lying, I really am fine lol
I've found I use very short replies, my face blushes and I'm a terrible liar, and it's rare that I do. But I get accused of lying a lot. That makes me angry. Then I feel I need to justify and explain myself and why they're wrong.
As someone with a severe anxiety disorder, this is how I behave in normal circumstances. I behave like this when I'm alone, so I'm writing this off as a gross generalization rather than an actual theory.
I got a super obvious tell from my mom, I either smile like a psyco or laugh hysterics
Great, I have naturally dry eyes and I always mess with my hair. Anyway, don't read too much into other people's body signals, they could just be nervous, stressed, not neurotypical, from a different cultural background or whatever. I hate nothing more than have other people explain my apparent feelings to me based on my body language or tone. A colleague from work has this s**t habit of repeatingly asking me, if I am really not angry at him - well guess what will happen if you don't take my first (or second) honest "no" seriously, dude. Edit: I normally get along well with a bunch of different people, everyone is "weird" in some way, just let people be themselves
If you walk up to a group of people and they turn their feet towards you, you are welcome. If they have their feet turned away from you, even if their body and head is turned towards you, they are uncomfortable with you approaching them.
When someone is touched on their shoulder or their knees, it creates a stronger emotional and physical bond with the person touching.
I just genuinly hate being touched anywhere. If you touch my shoulder you can guarantee that you will not be my favourite person anymore
Note: this post originally had 32 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Some of these are perfectly harmless, but a few are manipulative, and some are creepy.
Yes! The "breathing loud" one especially but also the "keep eye contact and remain silent to get someone to open up" to you one. Those both seem more psychopathic than they do "psychology tips"
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Half of these are worse than useless. Several could get you in serious trouble.
Only really the last one. But several seem to be culturally contextual, like making eye contact.
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A few of these are very helpful, but for crying out loud, if someone makes you feel uncomfortable? *walk away from them* You need a time-out in a safe place or with safe people, b/c odds are, you're not comfortable for some reason. It may be your PTSD (Or mine!) or it might just be you're tired, but don't ignore discomfort. It could be your subconscious saying, "Red alert!"
There's no way the guy promoting these is an actual psychologist or works in the field. I'm happy to see other commenters are also pointing out that these "hacks" (as though you can hack your way to a healthy brain with some hacks) are useless at best and harmful at worst. It's not a good look, BP.
Is this person a certified psychologist? Is he any kind of medical professional? It's Tik Tok ppl. He's a Tik Toker. He's entertainment. Not fact.
Those are really cool. Some won't work for me, but some are things I'd never have thought of: when your friend is having a panic attack, breathe loud and steady so they can sync with you? That sounds like it might work!
..For you perhaps. Its all relative, and if you cant see how it could help from reading this post it could never help you. Your mind have desided its false, and that is just your own opinion, nothing with weight
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When teaching children new things I always said at the end 'Now wasn't that easy?' And they would say 'Yea!' And ace it. Even if it was a skill above their grade level. Over 97% success rate. The ones that needed help usually had IEP's for special needs. I would teach the lesson in a variety of ways for visual, auditory, and tactful learners. Also matching them with children their own skill level or a kid with good skills with one that needed help. Seeing a child their age complete the task helped also. These tools are not tricking you. They are unlocking the keys to how your brain functions and what works for you. My husband needs to know how long a task will take. Different criteria for understanding in different people. Another way is to break lessons down to one step at a time. Some are successful knowing all the directions at once. Others are successful a step at a time.
There is only one of these that I would accept as fact. When someone is having an anxiety attack, look them straight in the face, loudly and visibly control your breathing and they will respond by remembering to control their own breathing. Believe me, I was a claustrophobic PADI divemaster and rescue diver for way too many years. It works!
Narcissistic manipulation? These made me uncomfortable. Must be watching too many YouTube about narcissism. 🤔
Some of these are perfectly harmless, but a few are manipulative, and some are creepy.
Yes! The "breathing loud" one especially but also the "keep eye contact and remain silent to get someone to open up" to you one. Those both seem more psychopathic than they do "psychology tips"
Load More Replies... Half of these are worse than useless. Several could get you in serious trouble.
Only really the last one. But several seem to be culturally contextual, like making eye contact.
Load More Replies... A few of these are very helpful, but for crying out loud, if someone makes you feel uncomfortable? *walk away from them* You need a time-out in a safe place or with safe people, b/c odds are, you're not comfortable for some reason. It may be your PTSD (Or mine!) or it might just be you're tired, but don't ignore discomfort. It could be your subconscious saying, "Red alert!"
There's no way the guy promoting these is an actual psychologist or works in the field. I'm happy to see other commenters are also pointing out that these "hacks" (as though you can hack your way to a healthy brain with some hacks) are useless at best and harmful at worst. It's not a good look, BP.
Is this person a certified psychologist? Is he any kind of medical professional? It's Tik Tok ppl. He's a Tik Toker. He's entertainment. Not fact.
Those are really cool. Some won't work for me, but some are things I'd never have thought of: when your friend is having a panic attack, breathe loud and steady so they can sync with you? That sounds like it might work!
..For you perhaps. Its all relative, and if you cant see how it could help from reading this post it could never help you. Your mind have desided its false, and that is just your own opinion, nothing with weight
Load More Replies... When teaching children new things I always said at the end 'Now wasn't that easy?' And they would say 'Yea!' And ace it. Even if it was a skill above their grade level. Over 97% success rate. The ones that needed help usually had IEP's for special needs. I would teach the lesson in a variety of ways for visual, auditory, and tactful learners. Also matching them with children their own skill level or a kid with good skills with one that needed help. Seeing a child their age complete the task helped also. These tools are not tricking you. They are unlocking the keys to how your brain functions and what works for you. My husband needs to know how long a task will take. Different criteria for understanding in different people. Another way is to break lessons down to one step at a time. Some are successful knowing all the directions at once. Others are successful a step at a time.
There is only one of these that I would accept as fact. When someone is having an anxiety attack, look them straight in the face, loudly and visibly control your breathing and they will respond by remembering to control their own breathing. Believe me, I was a claustrophobic PADI divemaster and rescue diver for way too many years. It works!
Narcissistic manipulation? These made me uncomfortable. Must be watching too many YouTube about narcissism. 🤔
