A list of almost 200 psychological manipulation techniques in no particular order; to you, my magnificent reader. Most are aimed at getting people to do what you want, but some also protect you from being deceived. 5000 words.
I decided to leave out cognitive biases and fallacies since the posts is quite long the way it is. But rest assured that I am going to dig into those two topics sometime in the future.
Psychological Manipulation Techniques & Tactics
- Never show people that you are upset, for it makes you appear weak. Social Justice Warriors take notice!
- If someone makes a joke at your expenses, pretend that you didn’t hear it, while looking straight into his eyes. A joke that has to be explained or repeated loses its’
- Make use of the Law of Reciprocity (By Robert Cialdini): People will feel obligated do a favour for you in return for your gift/kindness/favour.
- Multiple studies have found that clean shaven, well-dressed men are treated more favourably by judges.
- Learn to use fallacies, cognitive biases and dissonance to your favour.
- If you want to gain access into a person’s life, especially of one of the opposite sex, use subtle flattery.
- Whenever possible try to assume the role of the father (to women) or brother. People will easily submit their trust to you.
- The basis of authority? Body language, clothing style, financial resources, likeability/charm and intelligence. Combine them to lay the groundwork for all the other psychological manipulation techniques.
- The Deference Principle: People will trust you and follow your instructions if you appear to be a person of authority.
- Walk like a King to be treated like one. If you act and appear to be in a position of power, you will soon be.
- Use the Door in the Face technique. Make an enormous request (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristobal_Colon did when asking for funding of his expedition) without the intention of having someone accept it. If you follow up with a small request afterwards, you are much more likely to have your request granted.
- Similar to the Foot in the Door technique. Ask them for a small favour and if they agree, follow up with a larger request.
- If you want people to agree to your request, offer to do a little part of it, they are much more likely to agree if they see your good will.
- The Placebo Information. Give people any reason using “because” in the request. Studies have shown that the compliance can skyrocket, when giving any reason for your request.
- Propaganda masterminds know that repetition is an excellent way to convince people of something. The sweet spot for repeating something lies between 3-5 times, according to studies. After that diminishing returns set in.
- Overwhelm people by speaking quickly and overload their brain with your information or views. This psychological manipulation techniques may both be used offensively as well as defensively.
- People love people who like them.
- Use positive affirmations. Tell yourself that you like your vis-à-vis or that you are not only the greatest, but the double greatest.
- People hate people who hate them.
- Whenever you want someone to cooperate, agree with you or want them to calm down when angry, stand in a 45° angle to them or next to them.
- Standing or sitting in a direct line of a person tricks the brain into believing that the vis-à-vis is an enemy.
- People will be more likely to do you favors if you make more physical, platonic contact with them. Note the word “platonic”. Unless they are attracted to you, flirtatious behaviour will make them more aloof. One of the highly successful psychological manipulation techniques, frequently used subconscious.
- Be aware of whether a person is a “thinker” or a “feeler” and target your message accordingly. Most people though value emotion over rationality.
- The three elements of every speech or debate? Logos (the Content/Argument), Ethos (credibility/authority) and Pathos (means to influence his audience or opponent, emotional appeal).
- Caffeine increases the situation awareness and alertness. Usually a good thing, though it can be used for manipulation. A person on caffeine is more easily influence than he would otherwise be. A study found out that people are 35% more inclined to agree with you, if high on coffee.
- Reversal: People who are tired, are easier to manipulate as well.
- As a woman it is mandatory to never wear too much or too little makeup, unless you wish to come across as untrustworthy and unsympathetic.
- Ask for a favour at a time most convenient for your target, making him less likely to refuse. No brainer, but I still want to empathise the need for proper timing.
- If you want to manipulate people, alter their mental state. A scared, stressed, shocked or anxious person has less inclination to refuse. Reason is that they think with their primitive limbic system, which only knows black & white, but no shades of grey.
- Of course, the modern Machiavelli must not only use mental manipulation techniques but must also know how to recognise emotional manipulation, to not end up being the one deceived. A stoic mind helps and allows you to focus and think rational, making it easy to spot the characteristics of a manipulative personality.
- Chew gum before or during a stressful situation to trick your mind into thinking that there can’t be an immediate danger, because you are “eating”.
- It is possible to manipulate feelings and perceptions based on an object someone is touching. Heavy object = thinks more seriously about things. Rough object = pessimistic train of thought, bad mood.
- Hard chairs make for a hard negotiation. People sitting on them are less likely to cooperate.
- Women seem men wearing red as attractive and desirable. Men wearing blue as more stable, as boyfriend material. White = innocence.
- A two-sided argument refuting the opposite argument is more persuasive than a one-sided argument.
- Light swearing at the beginning or end of a speech, debate, etc is often beneficial as it increases the audience’s perception of the speaker’s intensity.
- What everyone is aiming for: Affiliation, being liked, accuracy and a positive self-concept, ego.
- Tell people that they look/are exactly the person who would do xyz.
- Convince them that you are Jesus Christ reborn. Pretend to be loved by everyone to create massive social proof.
- Never use qualifying words (maybe, probably,…) when trying to influence people. Instead, frame your words in a way that makes them sound like you are only stating confirmed, definite facts.
- How to manipulate people into thinking that you pose no threat? Look harmless and pretend to be the wolf in a sheep hide. Perception is reality.
- Charles Manson tips on recruiting: Always keep the mood positive, tire them out, get attractive people to charm them. Interesting fact: his most favourite book, the foundation of his artful psychological manipulation techniques is the following book: How to Win Friends & Influence People
- Show interest in other people. If you do, people are more likely to like you.
- People gravitate towards those with a strong reputation, even if their gut tells them that someone else, though more obscure, is a better leader. Keep this in mind while mentally manipulating groups.
- Want to keep people down whose nutrition you can dictate? Keep their schedule busy and feed them a sugar-based diet.
- When dealing with a religious person, swear to god that you are telling the truth, when lying.
- A person who frequently draws attention to his genitals(scratching, adjusting down there. Holding his belt with his thumbs, ergo taking a manly stance) values his masculinity. Attacks on his masculinity will hurt him much more while he will love to hear compliments about it.
- Mirror other people’s body language and actions. Don’t do it instantly, because they will catch up on it, but do it with some time delay. Attention: People trained in NLP will most likely catch your mirroring attempts.
- Repeat a person’s name often during a conversation. Not only will this help you remember it, it makes him like you more.
- Match your speech (speed, use of words, pitch) to your vis-à-vis to build rapport
- Match your breathing, blinking and walking speed to them
- Belief and emotion trumps rationality and logic.
- Show, don’t tell. Manipulation is much easier if you base it upon tangible things and emotion instead of talk. Win through your actions, never through argument.
- Avoid the bright spotlight. The darkness and shadows are your friend.
- Give people the illusion of choice. Make them play with the cards you deal.
- Women who tilt their heads back come across as less feminine, chin down = more attractive. Making the orgasm face (think of Marilyn Monroe) makes them more attractive, as well as signs of submission like high eyebrows or revealing the neck.
- Obey your father. This was already written in the bible (I believe) and can be used to effectively deliver advice. Say “my father once told me, that it is best to do xyz that way”.
- Men who tilt their head back are considered more masculine. Men who show signs of submission are less attractive.
- Calibration is an essential tool of the skilful manipulator. Gauge reactions and emotions and adjust accordingly. If you see that you are overwhelming someone, slow down.
- Different wording can make all the difference in manipulation attempts. Spin doctors excel at this and re-word a massive tax increase in a way that makes voters agree with it.
- It is much easier to make an optimist passionate for something. Avoid the toxic & pessimistic people, because they often are harder to fall victim to psychological manipulation techniques.
- One of the strongest tools to shame someone is to accuse them of being creepy. This is a word nobody wants to be associated with.
- Emphasise scarcity. People want what they can’t have, or at least what might be running short.
- Reversal: Abundance. If you come from a place of abundance, are known for or appear to not be needing the deal/the girl/the job, you are in a favourable position.
- Dominance is sexy. Women are more likely to agree with something, if they are touched on the arm during the request.
- Squeeze people for the last penny. Be bold with your demands. Show no mercy because you will not be shown any. If you give someone a finger, they will take your whole arm.
- Science confirms that strong emotions make people fall in love faster. Watch horror movies, rob a bank, create adrenaline.
- Want someone to agree with you? Start asking them something you know they are going to agree upon, even if unrelated. For example ask a liberal person “I hate Hitler, do you like him?”
- Find out your common interests and strengths and exaggerate them, while downplaying or ignoring any differences that exist between you.
- Women who smile are more attractive. Men who smile less and appear serious are more attractive. Attractive equals charisma and makes it easier for you to use psychological manipulation techniques on your target.
- When you asked the buying question, shut your trap. Never make the mistake of talking yourself out of a deal.
- If you were forced to make an apology, delivered it artfully and it was accepted, the same rule applies. Immediately stop apologising lest you want to talk yourself out of the apology.
- Usually, when your apology has been accepted under protest and grumbling, it is best to not apologise again, for you might draw upon you resentments waiting to come at you. Giving it a little space and time is the preferred course of action here.
- Never ever do the mistake to give your target reasons to not do what you want them to do. Sounds basic? It is not.
- People like people who are like them. A narcissistic HR person is most likely to hire a narcissistic candidate.
- It is human nature to trust their fellow man, hence are naturally born naive, susceptible to psychological manipulation techniques.
- People who have recently eaten are easier to convince of something. Maslow’s Pyramid of needs at work.
- Never immediately end a conversation after getting the information you need. Ask a couple of inconsequential questions or chat a little. Later, when the target tries to remember the conversation, they will most likely only recall the last 2 questions.
- Security is often an illusion. Never drop your guard, especially not at a business party, never reveal too much.
- Never believe a conversation to be confidential.
- A man convinced against his opinion is of the same opinion still.
- Avoid the direct confrontation when you argue with someone, hoping that he will change his opinion. Even if they agree to your point of view, they will despise you for it.
- When asking for a favour, it is only beneficial if you ask for it in front of the public/other people. If they agree, they look kind, and they fear that if they disagree they might look cold.
- If you want your target to agree with you, nod while asking the question. If you want him to disagree, shake your head.
- When asking for a favour, it is beneficial to appear dominant. Look them straight into their eyes. Intimidation is an excellent foundation for psychological manipulation techniques.
- Dominate & intimidate by looking at your vis-à-vis’ forehead or hairline. This is going to subconsciously evoke feelings of inferiority and insecurity in them.
- Speaking of dominance, muscles do help, as well as a bald or clean-shaven head have been shown to have a positive effect on your ability to follow up with psychological manipulation techniques.
- Being thin and therefore having a chiselled jaw makes you appear more dominant. A wide chin is a sign of high testosterone.
- Don’t overdo it but take a sentence, rephrase it and feed it back to them. This gives them the illusion that you are an avid listener and interested in them. Also known as “reflective listening”.
- Many people enjoy helping, hence, if you have a request, you can start by stating that you need their help.
- If you see a bum and know that he is going to turn to aggressive begging techniques, ask him for money first to utterly confuse him.
- If you feel like someone is telling only half the truth, utilise the tension of silence and stare at them.
- Develop a stare that would make Mussolini proud. Staring someone down can be very beneficial during a confrontation.
- Keep eye contact but don’t overdo it. People who lie often hold strong eye contact, despite popular opinion that they look away. This falls under the “silent” psychological manipulation techniques.
- Don’t give signs of confirmation all the time while listening. Ergo don’t nod all the time or say “mhm/I agree”. This reveals your approval seeking agenda.
- Flatter, but never flatter too much. Also, be careful when people are shy, because they will often resent compliments. Confident narcissists can’t get enough of them on the other hand.
- Not only observe your target, but also the reactions of their friends. Sometimes the friends reveal your targets real thoughts.
- Taunt your target into delivering excellent results, but questioning his abilities. Enraged people will go out of their way to prove you wrong. Use sparingly.
- Touching guests, having a cheerful mood, giving them free sweets and drawing a smiley on the bill, increases the tips of waiters (and of prostitutes).
- Ask questions to throw people off balance. For example, if someone is playing well (Poker, Sports, …), ask him what he changed about his game because he usually never plays that good.
- Using a frame breaker in the form of doing something unexpected or asking annoying questions can be used in many other Situations as well.
- Arrogant sales people sell more to rich buyers in outlet stores. This also applies to real estate. Adapt to your customer and you might even find psychological manipulation techniques obsolete in some scenarios.
- The illusion of irrevocability says that people will change the way they think about something to justify their behaviour. If you gas enough people of a particular race/ideology because it is your job, you are guaranteed to despise those people.
- Never underestimate the importance of a first impression. This combined with the halo effect can be either beneficial or catastrophic for you.
- Divide & Conquer. Alienate people to make them depend on you or to weaken the enemy from within.
- People who think that you are a good-for-nothing-asshole are going to convince themselves that you indeed are, even if you start handing out soup to the homeless and rescue kittens in your free time. People hate being wrong and hence will try to convince themselves that their opinion of you was true.
- Be bold, be confident, ask for more rather than less, exaggerate your skills and achievements, dress and groom well. The basics of every job interview or political speech.
- Use reinforcement to manipulate people. Both positive and negative as well as intermittent or partial reinforcement.
- Use sugar bread & whip, rewards & punishment. Use selective generosity to lower defences.
- Enthusiasm is contagious. Always be in a cheerful, positive mood and others will start to love you for it. The opposite is also true.
- A couple of confidence instilling tricks… the key to confidence is walking into a room, and assuming everyone there already likes and respects you. Make a habit of smiling at people… smile more and see how good you will feel about yourself, in the process you will make others feel good, and you will render yourself open to making more friends/associates. When alone, try making the biggest smile possible, you’ll automatically feel happier and more outgoing. Also, if you start acting like you’re a confident and assertive person, people will believe you are indeed that – ‘fake it until you make it’.
- Read more about a favourable first impression as well as the art of forming a smile in my comprehensive summary of Law #12 – Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim.
- Get comfortable hiding & holding a knife behind a smile. The knife that is not expected cuts deep.
- Act like you belong, like you are an authority, and many people will not question whether you belong somewhere or have bad intentions.
- Writing things by hand improves the retention of the information, as students know, but also boost the likelihood of commitment to whatever has been written down.
- People are lazy and will always try to take a shortcut. Abuse this.
- In the same turn, think twice and hard about accepting a seemingly free lunch. Favours often are attempted psychological manipulation techniques in a sugarcoat disguise.
- “’Cuz when niggers are scared, that’s when white folks are safe.” “The only time black folks are safe, is when white folks is disarmed. And this letter had the desired effect of disarming white folks.” Quotes from The Hateful Eight. Use fear to secure your power.
- Avoid filler words whenever possible. Substitute the “ähms” for silence and recollect your thoughts.
- Anecdotes persuade people better than data does. Anecdotes invoke empathy, which triggers emotional reactions that assist in processing the data and the feelings. Emotions also trigger the memory centers in the brain.
- If I told you that 2 jumbo jets full of people died of smoking, and if I told someone else that x number of people die of smoking, who do you think would remember?
- What does it take to become a Machiavellian strategist? Strong manipulation skills as well as excellent analytical cold-reading skills. Hone them.
- If you are a bad liar and people can tell that you lie based on a specific tell-tale sign, incorporate this specific action in your everyday behaviour. Example, I sometimes swallow when I bluff during Poker, hence I swallow all the time (reading this sounds so wrong…)
- People love progress and are highly motivated by it. Even small victories keep them happy and motivated to continue doing what they are doing. Example if your girlfriend tries to change you, give her something and pretend that you have changed. You can always revert back to your old ways later on. Change a small behaviour to justify a huge, terrible behaviour.
- People lie most often on the telephone than they do during writing. Writing non-electronically decreases the amount and size of lies even more.
- Body language and facial expression can change your mood. Stand like a king and you shall feel like a king. Smile and you will feel happier in an instant.
- We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. If you play the game of power, you will get better at it.
- People often ignore or overlook discrepancies in favour of things that are congruent with what they believe to be true. Therefore a prince may appear as he wishes to be seen.
- Always be nice & polite, until it is time to stop being nice & polite.
- Depending on your opposite, it can be useful to appear meek, humble and non-threatening
- Never hold a grudge against another person because it will cloud your judgement.
- Never fight a battle if you gain nothing by winning.
- Thank people often and congratulate them on the choices they made. This will reinforce their belief of having made a great decision.
- Never believe anyone who constantly tells you what a great decision you have made. They are out to get you.
- Ask people for their opinions and possibly follow the advice they gave you. Thank them later on for the great advice.
- The beauty of mob mentality and social proof. Never forget that human beings are only a small step above sheep. Social proof and social pressure can be your ally.
- Wear a cross necklace. Many people believe religious people to be good, righteous people.
- (Pretend to) be nice to animals. Many people believe animal lovers to be good, righteous people.
- Want an answer to a question? Instead of asking the question, post a wrong answer. People are much more likely to correct you than answer a question.
- Everyone wants to be liked, admired and be right.
- Not what you say matters, but how you say it. As well as who says it.
- People will believe a person they like and defend their viewpoint, even if they are unsure of the truth content of said statement.
- There is only one radio station people listen to. WII.FM. What’s in it for me?
- I have a great memory but pretend that I don’t. If I was honest, I would rob myself of an excuse.
- Plausible deniability is your friend. Use it yourself to avert repercussions. Use it on others to make them admit an error, submit information or not feel as bad.
- Assumption Principle: Assume that the other person agrees with your terms. Example “I am going to come to your place and show you how I can save you money on your insurance. When is the best time?”
- Also assume that everyone loves you, that every word from your mouth is golden and that your poop smells like flowers.
- Even better is to combine this approach with limited options. Make people choose between 20:00 and 21:30.
- More on options: never give people too many options. If you do, they will feel overwhelmed and do nothing.
- Don’t fear rejection, be confident and never ever let anyone know that they have power over you, because you fear their rejection.
- Gifts randomly given can have a huge positive impact. A gift constantly given in a row (3+ times) ceases to be a gift, but becomes an obligation instead.
- The beginning and the end are remembered. The middle usually not. You can apply this law of human nature in various situations.
- If you appear to be reluctant to ask for a favour or seem to be distressed, people are more likely to help you out.
- If a person blinks fast they are usually bored with the conversation, but it is also a sign of distress. A relaxed person, or someone interested in you/the conversation will blink less.
- With chewing gum it is the opposite. A person who enjoys something will chew faster. Offering gum to a woman you are trying to seduce can be a good move if you want to gauge her interest.
- Be clear, concise and bold. Never say “do not hesitate to call me, if you like me” instead be bold and say “call me on Monday”
- Never RAP with strangers. Don’t talk about Religion, Abortion, Politics and other controversial topics.
- Be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure to have a Plan B.
- If you are in dire need of a flood of motivation, burn down your ships and bridges and don’t have a backup plan.
- Analyse yourself, assess your strengths and weaknesses. You need to know how you look and behave when you are in various situations, for example when not telling the truth. Realising something is the first step to recover.
- Act dumb, uneducated, naïve or inexperienced. Others will become arrogant and prone to mistakes if they underestimate you and believe that every psychological manipulation technique used against you was going succeed without any resistance.
- Be like a social chameleon and adapt to your environment. Think as you like but behave like others.
- Always keep frame, never lower your mask even for the fraction of a second, because if you lose your mask, the mask is lost forever. Keep in mind that you must guard your reputation with your life.
- Never fight a battle if you don’t gain anything substantial when winning. Play through all the possible scenarios in your head, or even better on paper, before making a decision.
- Master the art of storytelling to charm victims with contagious stories.
- Mastery comes through practice. Practice speeches, practice persuasion attempts, practice facial expressions in the mirror.
- The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand. Fortuna loves preparation and the modern Machiavelli must pay close attention to his plans
- Always have a clear goal in mind and make sure to never shoot past the aim.
- Analyse your target. Find out as much as possible about his strengths and weaknesses. You never know what kind of information can benefit you, or be used against him.
- It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.
- Having much information on your enemy gives you the upper hand. Adjust your dealings accordingly and lure them with the bait most suited for them.
- According to the Needs Principle, a person who knows what another man needs can easily manipulate him.
- Draw attention to something by mentioning it. I am certain that you know the “don’t think about an elephant” trick. Use this cognitive loophole to manipulate people into thinking about a certain thing. For example, tell someone about a house that burned down and then ask him if he has turned down the oven.
- Make sure you only surround yourself with people beneficial to your goal. If you want to look like a sophisticated gentleman, don’t let it known that your friends are hooligans. Your company will always fade upon you.
- If your target starts raising their voice, tell them that you’ll understand them better if they talk calmly. This phrase is provocative because everyone wants to be understood in a debate. Same goes for a sudden increase in speed.
- Put the con in confidence. Never show weakness or seem hesitant. People despise weakness and will see right through your act if you fake it.
- Learn from your own mistakes, learn from other’s mistakes, amplify their mistakes to gain leverage.
- Don’t make the mistake of forgetting about the peripheral vision. Just because someone isn’t directly looking at you doesn’t mean that he doesn’t notice what’s going on. Women have a much better peripheral vision; this is the reason they are good at finding stuff in the fridge and their bags.
- Make people jump through your hoops. It will make it easier to ultimately get them to buy. If they have to make a little effort, they are going to value you or your service much more.
- people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- The strong eat the weak. If you push someone, he won’t notice you stealing his wallet. If you accuse your opponent of a huge case of corruption, people forget that you are accused of being a Nazi.
- Learn how to flash an authentic looking fake smile. Smile with your eyes, form the smile slowly. Don’t smile for no reason at all, or you will be perceived like Forrest Gump.
- Use your body language as a tool in the psychological manipulation process. Stay tuned for a post on body language hacks and tricks to read non-verbal clues.
- When going to McDonalds, you don’t have to take their shit in silence. If you buy a burger, demand to have it made fresh. If you order Coke, drink a chunk of it and then complain that there is not enough gas in the Coke and have them change the gas cartridge.
- You can never fool 100% of the people 100% of the time, just like you can’t force compliance indefinitely.
- Question everything, never believe anything without haven given it a quick, better yet thorough, think.
- If you can’t be 100% certain that someone is telling you the truth, better assume that he is lying.
- Never sweat the small stuff. Trusting someone’s word is good, but rereading the contract or checking the car for small damages is better. Remember what Il Duce said: It is good to trust people, but not doing so is much better.
- Not only is it important to know your terrain, but you must also know your body. Be aware of it, know what is good for him and treat him in a royal fashion. Know how you react to various drugs and supplements and whenever needed, don’t be hesitant to aid your concentration or relaxation.
Thank you for reading and congratulations for making it to the end. Try to remember these psychological manipulation techniques and practise them in a safe environment, before you step into the ring with the big opponents.
