“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.
I think this one works well if you just remember the thing that you have to recall for tomorrow right before you sleep. I've done this and you chuck a pillow across the room, wake the following day and wonder why a pillow is on your floor, and then remember. I just use Alexa to remind me at the time I wake now.
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Like I'd notice that. Or we'll I might, I can either hyper fixate on such a thing or let it go unnoticed for a year.
This is one of my greatest ADHD hacks. In the morning there is always a small pile infront of my door. If it stops me from completing my next task (getting ready/going to the bathroom) then I have to do jt
“Ooh as someone with ADHD, is this a good strateg… whoop, no, REVERSE COURSE MAXIMUM WARP”
Could only possibly work if you were otherwise completely neat and organised, and honestly if that's the sort of person you are you're not going to have problems remembering to do something anyway. And why not just put a reminder in yous smartphone's calendar in the first place?
Uhm or put it in your phones calendar with 3 reminders? Or even better, have a morning ritual where you drink coffee, have a good breakfast and look through your to-do list and calendar?
I do this. But not just in my room. All over in the places I’ll need to remember the thing I’m trying not to forget. I need to take the food in the fridge to work for the potluck. I put a pot holder in the middle of the kitchen counter. I need to remember to stop for gas. I put something on top of my steering wheel, in front of the control panel. It’s the modern day equivalent of tying a string around your finger.
I've actually been doing this for years without knowing how to put it into words! Works great!
This very much depends on the person, people have totally different ways of “noticing” things or not. Find a way that works for you to remember things, relying on placing an object like this may not work (definitely doesn’t for me!).
Just write a note and put it somewhere that you know you'll look every morning. I've gone into rooms forgetting what it is I was going in there for. My mom had given me money to get her a book, since I was going to the mall the next day. I put the money in my wallet. The day I went to the mall, I saw the money in my wallet and totally thought it was mine and that I had more cash than I thought. It wasn't until I talked to my mom next and asked if I had gotten her the book that I had remembered. Total DOH! moment. (Yes, I did buy her the book before I saw her, with my own money.)
Huh? Yeah, like I'm going to disrupt my decor? Isn't that what cell phone reminders are for?
I use this a lot. I don't need a note to tell me what to remember - I just need something out of place on top of my shoulder bag to remind me I have to remember something (usually something I have to take to the office that's outside my normal routine). Sometimes I only think of it after I've gone to bed so I grab something off the bedside table and drop it on top of my shoulder bag. Admittedly this went horribly wrong one night when I grabbed a book in the dark. It felt odd so I turned on the light to discover I was holding a weta (NZers will understand the true horror of the moment).
I try this. I’ll set an alarm. But then I still don’t remember what I was supposed to do.
Or you could set an alarm for it on your phone, if its really important...
I used to do this when I was younger (before cell phone reminders), especially once I was already in bed with the lights off...I'd just toss something onto the floor so I'd see it the next morning and remember. I thought it was GENIUS. Heh.
or be like me and see it the next day and think "who moved that?" and look shifty at people all-day
Notice if something is out of place? Clearly, you have not seen my room.🤣
Walking thru a doorway resets our brains, hence the common refrain, "what the heck am I doing in here". If you state out loud the reason you are entering a room, esp. if you have several things on your mind, chances are you'll remember. As for remembering something for the next day, I find a sticky note on the bath mirror works quite well.
If I have to take something with me to work, I have to hang a bag with it on the doorknob. Else I forget it when I go autopilot.
this person thinks we're all under 50. If I do that, I'd think, "Wtf is THAT doing in here?"
The old "Tie a string around a finger" trick & then forget what it was for (and finger falls off)
Also, if you have great idea in the middle of the night throw something on the floor and go back to sleep. When you wake up and see something so out of place you'll remember the thought.
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.
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. 🤔
