These are some of the best psychological tricks to make it easier to deal with people:
- “If you need a big favor from someone (or a favor someone is likely to say no to) ask a small favor first, like borrowing a pen or something similar. They’ll be more likely to say yes to a bigger favor.”
- “4 seconds of silence can feel the same as rejection in the brain. So if someone is being a jerk to you, after they say something just look at them and count to 4 in your head, most of the time they'll start backtracking and taking back what they said before you're done counting.”
- “If in need, instead of asking ‘anyone’ to help you, ask a specific person ‘hey, you there in the green shirt could you give me a hand’... It works.”
- “When it’s hard to convince someone to do something: give them options. That way they feel like they're in control. ‘You could do A or do you prefer B?’”
- “The less forceful you are, the more agreeable people are. I read that prefacing a request with, "It's fine if you say no, but could you..." makes people more likely to agree to do the request.”
- “I've seen this a lot in airports and in some stores, but having a mirror behind the cashier/receptionist often stops people from being angry because once you start to see what you look like angry you begin calming down.”
- “Waving while driving. The act of directly acknowledging the other driver really mitigated how mad they might get about you cutting in front of whatever.”
- “I find Cunningham's law works surprisingly well. i.e. the quickest way to get someone to tell you the right answer is to post the wrong answer.”
- “Never stand anywhere for more than 60 seconds and you'll always look busy. Also, walk fast.”
- “Do not apologize for the inconvenience, thank them for their patience.”