hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 17 psychological
tricks that always work now let's begin number one memorizing the bizarre if you want someone
to remember something this easy trick will make anything stick inside their head just
take whatever you need them to memorize and frame it in a strange and unexpected way maybe you come
up with a crazy example or use some weird mnemonic device the more distinct it is the easier it will
be for them to remember thanks to a psychological phenomenon called the bizarreness effect it's real
researchers noticed that distinct material is more memorable but it's not just because our
memory gets any better hmm distinct material just speeds up the encoding process it also
stops your brain from tuning things out so give your words more sticking power by phrasing them
in the weirdest way possible number two is the framing effect people will give two completely
different answers to a question by changing the way information is presented to them the key is
to point your audience in the direction of the choice that you want them to make okay let's
say you have two different types of yoghurt one uses a negative frame by saying it has 2% fat the
other uses a positive frame by saying it's 98% fat-free which yogurt do you think people will
pick mm-hmm research shows that people favor the positive frame because it emphasizes gains
instead of losses even though both yogurts are exactly the same this psychological bias
distorts our decision-making number three the influence of absolute certainty let's
take the framing effect just one step further people's minds can be changed by creating or
removing absolute certainty the certainty effect explains that people are more likely to do things
when they believe there's no risk involved so if you add a chance of something bad happening most
people will get nervous and back out let's say a friend of yours is doing something you think is a
terrible idea but they're confident that nothing negative is going to happen you can easily help
them make the right decision by creating some level of let's call it realistic doubts it'll
be their choice to make but there's a good chance the risk will change their mind and help them in
the long run number four strategic passivity how do you communicate frustration and disappointment
without hurting anyone's feelings well normally when something goes wrong we just say you didn't
do this right this feels like a personal attack it's direct it's active and it's accusatory
luckily a small change in phrasing can completely transform your tone so instead you might say this
wasn't done right using the passive voice will show that you're unhappy without offending or
insulting anyone number five the power of multiple options what do you do when your friend wants to
tell you something but they can't quite find the words how do you help them communicate
their feelings you give them two options to choose from if they seem upset just ask them if they're
stressed about work or if you did something wrong it doesn't matter if you guess right the simple
fact that you gave them options will make it much easier for them to express themselves number six
the von restorff effect you'll find that people are attracted to things that stand out when one
stimulus noticeably differs from the others it becomes more memorable this bias is called the
von restorff or isolation effect lists are a common example let's say your boss hands you a
list of things that he wants you to get today you notice that one item is highlighted now he didn't
say you should prioritize any one thing over the others but you end up doing the highlighted tasks
first anyway people do this because isolation creates importance and urgency if something
differs in size shape or color we assume it's more significant than everything around it so
the next time you're delegating responsibilities or just making a grocery list find ways to isolate
your priorities number seven the rhyme as reason effect if you want to make a stronger point try
using a statement that rhymes the rhyme as reason effect tells us that rhyming improves retention
especially if it feels natural in fact people assume rhyming statements are also more accurate
than non rhyming statements when you evaluate how factual a statement sounds logic isn't the
only thing that you consider the aesthetics of a sentence matter - if it looks and sounds fluid
then you're more likely to believe it's the truth number eight relieving discomfort under pressure
when giving presentations or speeches what do you do with your hands you might feel like your
hands really don't have a place which can make you restless and uncomfortable it's a huge distractor
while you're trying to give a speech so you should use this simple trick to relieve some of
that discomfort bring something to hold on stage with you it could be a clipboard a water bottle
or just about anything that you want the point is give your hands some sort of role or purpose
it'll help you feel more relaxed which makes all the difference in these high-pressure situations
number nine communicating value everyone wants to be wanted it makes us feel valuable and important
it raises our self-esteem while relieving emotional pain in a professional environment
people are constantly searching for value they want to be helpful members of the team they want
recognition from their boss and they want the approval of their co-workers when value is on
the line people are willing to push themselves as much as it takes so by communicating that
you need someone you're not only making them feel better you're also motivating them to
work harder number 10 instant bonding many potential friendships fail moments after you
first meet you don't form any kind of memorable connection so your bond just fades away if you
want to stop this from happening prove that you're invested in a relationship you can form instant
bonds by doing something as simple as repeating their name after they introduce themselves find
ways to weave their name into the conversation this technique will show them they've earned
a place in your memory it's really simple but it can get the ball rolling on a long-lasting
friendship number 11 the IKEA effect people naturally over value things that they built
themselves while undervaluing gifts that other people give them most of the time it doesn't
really matter how good the quality is if you made it yourself you're going to take much more pride
in it so how can you use the IKEA effect to your advantage well if you want someone to care about
your project get them involved let them be a part of the creative process once they start investing
their time and energy into your project while they're much more likely to stick around number
twelve conditioning with validation whenever someone uses a specific word or phrase offer
them some sort of validation you might try smiling or nodding even laughing can work as long as you
don't overdo it each piece of positive body language acts like reward for doing something
good they'll start unconsciously repeating the same words hoping for another smile or a nod
in return number 13 calculated bargaining if you want something in a negotiation you start
by asking for way more than you need they're either going to seem unsure or turn you down
but that's the point you set this ridiculously high standard so the real thing doesn't seem so
bad by comparison plus when you lower the price it seems like you're meeting them in the middle
almost like you're doing them a favor you'll be surprised how many people will accept your
compromise thinking they got the better end of the deal number 14 undermining laziness you can easily
motivate unproductive team members by dividing up their work if you need them to get something
done never hand them the entire project divide up their work into small manageable chunks each
one will seem easy on its own so your lazy team mate won't waste as much time procrastinating as
these chunks begin to pile up they won't even realize how much they're actually getting done
this psychological trick also works when people are feeling insecure or intimidated splitting up
your work will help you be productive without the stress and pressure of a giant demanding
project number 15 the supportive foundation how do you get people to take your opinions seriously
oftentimes people tune you out because they don't feel heard why bother listening to you if you're
not listening to them so let them know you are listening before you share your perspective add
something like I hear what you're saying or that's a really good point if you show that
you're invested in them then they'll do the same for you building the kind of supporting foundation
that facilitates honest and productive discussions number 16 motivational expectations what's the
best way to quickly improve someone's performance explain that you have high expectations of them
say that you appreciate their work and that you're excited to see more when people receive this kind
of encouragement confidence and productivity both skyrocket you'll immediately notice them working
harder to prove that they're worth believing in number 17 the modality effect if you have to say
something important save it for the very end the modality effect shows that memory retention spikes
at the end of a speech list or presentation but this only works for verbal language when something
is written down you can go back and reread unless you're listening to a video or podcast you can't
replay some one's voice so help them help you by saving the best for last hey thank you for
watching top think and be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way