17 people share the small psychological trick that they regularly use in life.

Learning how easily all of us can fall for a simple trick of the mind can be a powerful tool to keep in your back pocket, but with great power comes great responsibility...

So, when a Reddit user asked, 'What is a small psychological trick that you use to your advantage in everyday life?' people were ready to reveal the small (and most harmless) mind games they routinely use on themselves or other people.

1.

My son won’t eat dinner, but he will eat a snack. Dinner is now called snack time for everyone. - DragonflyRemarkable3

2.

I listen more than I talk. - Glass-Researcher-257

3.

This may sound ridiculous but it has helped me immensely. I get terrible anxiety attacks from time to time, and my brain basically convinces me I’m seconds away from dying.

When I start to go down this spiral, I tell my brain in Samuel L Jackson’s voice “I don’t remember asking you a GODAMN thing!” Ever since I started doing this I find myself either chuckling or feeling empowered that I told my brain to stfu for once - DrPeterVankman

4.

When dealing with customers, I do a lot of 'positive language' EX: It's never 'sorry for your wait' more 'Thank you for your patience'. I am pretty good with customer service, often have my name mentioned positively in Google Reviews, and my boss points me out to the new guy as 'the one we need to be like' for customer service - mkicon

5.

The physical act of smiling has been shown to improve your mood, so I'll often smile or even chuckle to myself over nothing. And I always smile at everyone I meet, as much for my own sake as for theirs. - lovesyouandhugsyou

6.

I don’t assume. This applies to too many situations to list but here’s a couple. I don’t assume I know what another person is thinking. I don’t assume they’ll make the same decision as me even if they have the same information. - The_North45

7.

I try to determine if I can remember any one person’s mistake. Like can I remember their name, what they did, or when it happened? It’s almost always no, that I can’t remember it.

So I then I remind myself it’s ok for me to make mistakes. As long as I don’t KEEP making the same mistakes, and become memorable, it’ll all be ok. - BarnacleMcBarndoor

8.

I always think to myself before interviews or speeches 'I'm not nervous, I'm excited' Because it's almost the same brain chemistry. - --serotonin--

9.

90% of the time I use my customer service voice instead of my normal voice. People just treat you better when you're cheery and upbeat. I also think it kinda makes me more cheery and upbeat. - jrhawk42

10.

Taking a late lunch at work. I find that if I wait and take my lunch break closer to the end of my shift (around 2pm), it makes the days feel shorter/more bearable. Idk why, it just always felt awful taking it in the middle of my shift and having a whole other half to go after I finished lunch. - Swordbreaker925

11.

Taking recommendations. If someone recommends a movie or a restaurant, I make an effort to try it out. If you like a movie or food someone recommends it's a sweet compliment for them - MrLavenderValentino

12.

When I can sense my thoughts turning dark, I start singing to myself. It's basically distraction and does help when I can catch things early enough. - ChalkyKhan

13.

Silence. Silence is easily the most powerful tool in conversation. Don't like what someone just said? Go silent and they'll backpedal. Want someone to elaborate when they might be reluctant? Just wait silently. They'll do it. Stay silent during a negotiation and they'll fight against themselves for you. - PhreedomPhighter

14.

Assume stupidity instead of malice. There are a lot more stupid people than evil ones, and we all do stupid things now and then. It helps empathizing with people who did something you don't appreciate. - devraj7

15.

I guess I would call it using inertia. It’s a million times easier to keep doing something once you have started. So if I don’t feel like working out I tell myself I’ll just do a short work out. Or if the dishes need to be done I’ll tell myself to do one. More often than not once I start doing something my brain stops fighting so much against it.

The important thing though is to let yourself only do the short workout or that one dish if you start and still are fighting yourself. Otherwise you just don’t start in the first place because you know you are really talking about doing the whole thing. - lonewolf210

16.

Think of my future self...How will my future self feel in an hour or two if I skip my gym session? Will my future self be happy if I do this pile of dishes now, before bed? Or would he prefer to have to do it in the morning, before work?

I have a three month deadline on this project, will my future self appreciate my current self taking the first three or four weeks easy, or will he be really pissed off? ...essentially delayed gratification.

Pretty much all the bad stuff gives us instant gratification, while all the good stuff has delayed gratification. I always try to remember that - if I have to wait to reap the rewards then it's probably the best option. - RebeccaSHarris

17.

If you whisper to a crying toddler, they'll quiet down to hear what you're saying. If you make your words almost imperceptible, they will really quiet down. And if you mumble and throw in some words like 'ice cream' or their favorite TV show, it works even better. - whomp1970