Some people just glide through social situations like a hot knife through butter, while others seem like a stick in the mud. Thankfully, there are ways to fake it ‘til you make it, and many charmers are more than happy to share their tips and tricks when it comes to winning friends and influencing people.
Someone asked, “What’s an actual psychological ‘cheat code’ you use in social situations that works almost every time?” and over 2,000 netizens said “no” to gatekeeping. They were happy to reveal the sneaky ways they get ahead in life. From muting yourself on a call to avoid interrupting someone, to complimenting an enemy to disarm them, some of the social life hacks may surprise you.
We has put together a list of the best ones for you to scroll through during your next bout of social anxiety. Let us know your favorites by hitting the upvote button and feel free to share some of your own cheat codes in the comments section below.
#1
When someone is angry– like irrationally, psychotically angry– get them to say “yes” to anything. (E.g. Are you mad? Do you want help? Do you want me to give you space?) It engages a different part of the brain, and after that’s engaged, you can help them with problem solving.
Not everyone was front in the line when life handed out confidence. Fortunately, it’s a trait that can be learned and improved, or even faked if necessary.
Life coaching site BetterUp defines social skills as the abilities that enable us to navigate social interactions effectively and authentically whilebuilding meaningful connectionswith others. They include things likeengaging in conversation, small talk, and making eye contact, in order to better to understand and respect the emotions and perspectives of others.
Having good social skills benefits you in more ways than you might realize. Studies have found that isolating yourself, or lack of social connection, can be more harmful than obesity, smoking or high blood pressure. And that isolation is associated with a50% increased risk of dementiaas you age.
#2
Someone doesn’t like you? Give them a genuine compliment. Keyword: *genuine* lol
I worked with this girl and we disliked each other. One day I just looked at her- she’d gotten her hair done- and I said “That looks really good on you!” and her usual stankface went to confused so fast lol. But you have to mean it- I did, it suited her. But your enemy will leave you alone for a while as they go ponder what chess game you’re playing.
#3
When you want to learn something – facts, rumors, gossip, etc. State the fact but leave 1 detail intentionally wrong. The other person will love to correct you and give you ALL the information.
It feeds their ego, you learn what you wanted, everyone is happy with the result.
It works when I use it. I know it works on me as well.
There are a number of ways to improve your social skills and one the best is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. “Imagine the other person’s perspective and feelings,” explains BetterUp. “This helps you practice empathy and respond appropriately during conversations or social events.”
Equally important is introspection, or looking inwards. What are you feeling? What are you thinking? What emotions rule you? Why do you behave the way you do? What are your triggers?
“Developing self-awareness makes it easier to control them in social interactions, reducing feelings of being awkward or uncomfortable,” notes the site.
#4
If someone says something rude or offensive to you, look them in the eye and ask them to repeat themselves as if you didn’t hear them. 9 times out of 10 they will either back down or rephrase the rude/mean thing they said.
#5
This is probably quite specific, but as a Brit living in Berlin, I find channeling Hugh Grant is spectacularly effective.
This has worked with all sorts of German bureaucracy, government, work, doctors, personal, whatever.
In short, channel your very polite, self-effacing, mildly incompetent but apologetic about it Hugh Grant of the 90s. It helps if you can master a slightly shy look as well.
I should add that I look nothing like him – I’m a 190CM/105kg bearded bald bloke with full sleeve tattoos.
But there’s something about this kind of behaviour which, as I’ve been told, conforms entirely to the German perception of the British and which they largely find irresistibly charming.
As proof, at my doctor’s one of the nurses, who is just old enough to be my mother, insists on a hug and strokes my arm reassuringly when I have a blood test. I’m in my 40s and diabetic – blood tests are nothing special, but still her maternal instincts have locked on.
To all Germans. I apologise, but now I’ve found your weak spot I’ll never stop it 🤗.
#6
Always learn the names of the front office receptionists, custodians, maintenance crew at your place of work/volunteering/etc.
Always say hello to them and treat them like human beings. You would be surprised at how nice they treat you and help you out.
And it’s the right thing to do anyway, since they are human beings who deserve to be treated with respect.
You’ve probably heard of IQ, which deals with intelligence, and EQ, which measures emotional intelligence. But have you ever heard of SQ? SQ measures social intelligence (SI), and it’s all about how we make sense of the people around us. SI also describes a person’s interpersonal abilities.
According to HealthHub, a socially intelligent person (someone with high SI) “displays strong social competencies and nourishing behaviours that make other people feel valued, trusted, and respected.”
The site adds that high SI people are often “amiable and affable,” and they generally interact well with others. In addition, they’re often able to get others to cooperate with them.
#7
Speaking at a lower volume if someone is being unnecessarily loud.
One of my best friends has a LOUD voice she is completely unaware of, which can be incredibly annoying when we’re in public, so I will lower my speaking volume and she will subconsciously lower hers to match my volume.
#8
Acknowledge the queitist person in the group every now and then by linking the current conversation to something you remember about them.
The anti socials need some spotlight some times.
#9
When someone is “stuck” — they’re surly, they’re depressed, they’re anxious, whatever and it’s making it hard for them to engage and have fun — hit them with something absurd.
Like when my kids can’t seem to get past having a rough day at school: “anything I can do to help? Food? Water? Send a genetically engineered giant capybara to demolish the school?” The absurdity of the last one is kind of like giving the stuck brain a little shake. It doesn’t immediately fix everything, but very often it gets them unstuck enough to stop obsessing and start on the path to a better mood.
On the flipside, those with low social intelligence are often seen as unsociable, and leave others feeling frustrated, inadequate, and devalued.
However, these people aren’t always intentionally unsociable. Instead, their behavior often stems from a lack of social awareness and not understanding or realizing how the way they interact affects other people.
#10
It’s a small one, but it comes up often enough that it’s been useful. People often repeat themselves and a knee-jerk response to someone bringing up something you’d already heard about is “**You’ve told me this already**”, which incidentally has a somewhat negative connotation to it.
**Instead** of saying that, say “**I remember** you told me about this.” It’s more kindly affirming to the other person that you’ve listened when they told you the details/story in the past while also serving as a gentle reminder that they’ve already shared it. One response makes the person feel shut down whereas the other leaves them feeling heard. It’s a small change, but it’s come up a helluva lot and I like using it.
#11
My hack has turned into a hobby. I look for people doing a good job. When I find someone that is pretty good at what they are doing I make sure to compliment them, tell their boss the good news, and, if applicable, I tell corporate.
It’s surprising how much that helps the person, how much it confuses their boss since its not a complaint, and how long that its remembered. Later on, if I return to the same place I get better treatment and that can lead to others you are with to think better of you.
Inversely, when I see others treating people badly, particularly those in a service position, my opinion of them goes sharply down. I am far from the only one like this.
#12
Being comfortable in silence is power. Especially in any sort of negotiation, complaint, somebody asking for something or vice versa.
For some reason when you stay quiet people break.
If you want to hit Ctrl + Charm in life, experts suggest this: Master connecting with people and relationship management. In other words, make other people feel comfortable around you and like they are being seen, listened to and understood.
Show curiosity, suggests HealthHub. “Ask people questions that show interest in their lives but avoid being intrusive.” The site explains that it’s all in the way you ask a question. For example, “Tell me more about your weight-loss programme” is better than “How much do you weigh now?”
#13
If you’re talking to someone on the phone or online, mute yourself to avoid interrupting them. That way even if you do say something, they don’t hear it and don’t get interrupted. This is pretty much a must for me with adhd always wanting to jump in….Now if only I could find a similar solution for in person conversations. Covering my mouth with my hand tends to get weird looks and questions.
#14
Want someone to do something annoying or anxiety-producing? Don’t try to reassure them with how easy it’ll be: tell them it’s hard but you believe in them.
Which sounds more reassuring to you?
* “Just take on the monthly report, it’s not that hard, don’t stress about it!”
* Or “hey, I’d like you to take on the monthly report. I know it’s a big and challenging project, but I also have seen your work and I know you can do a great job.”.
#15
It’s a meditation exercise. Before I go to an event, I imagine the room, the people in it, and the way I want to feel while I’m in the room. Sometimes I imagine a light sweeping over everyone like it’s sprinkling good vibes. I’ve noticed that it makes me feel more confident and easy going when I have some anxiety about going somewhere.
It’s also important to listen actively without interrupting.
“People like to be heard,” explains the site. “Allowing them to talk with minimal interruption lets others see you as caring, trustworthy, and likeable.” And if you struggle to keep quiet, use one of the hacks on this list: mute yourself while on a call to allow the other person a chance to speak.
#16
When my social battery dips, I dip. It’s to no one’s benefit to be somewhere you don’t want to be.
#17
I tell myself “social mode: on” when going into social situations.
It works surprisingly well in getting me to talk more and be more of a part of conversations.
#18
This has worked for me in public setting when i get anxious people are watching me. Counting my steps. one two one two one two… all the sudden i’m not worried about being watched. idk worked for me.
Finally, we said it before and we will say it again: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Tune into their needs and feelings. If you can understand what others are thinking and how they’re feeling about things, you’re already winning. Of course, this ties into empathy… “When people sense your empathy, they connect with you better,” HealthHub explains.
Remember that social intelligence takes practice to master but that doesn’t mean you can’t fake it ’til you make it.
#19
Be overly nice to customer service representatives. Ask them how their day is going, calmly explain the situation and ask if they are the correct person to handle it, assure them you know they are not responsible and you’d appreciate their assistance in correcting the issue, say please and thank you. The old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar has proven astoundingly true. For the most part representatives will bend over backwards to help a kind person.
#20
It’s not really a “cheat code,” but… Build up people who are part of the same social circle but aren’t currently present. For example, if you’re out at dinner with your normal circle of friends and one of them isn’t there, talk them up and share something positive about them to the rest of the group. Without consciously thinking about it, we start to become aware of the kind of things people in our social circles say about us when we’re not present. Sort of like the “if he cheats on his girlfriend to be with you, he’s going to cheat on you at some point too,” there’s a real character-revealing element when someone is bad-mouthing someone who isn’t there, where we recognize that we might be spoken negatively about by the same friend when we’re not there.
If you tell your group, “man, I can’t believe how good John is getting at guitar” when John isn’t there, you’re planting seeds of trust in the others in your circle that if they’re ever the ones that are missing from the social situation, you’re more likely to be building them up than tearing them down. If you tell them, “I can’t believe John still has that stupid mustache” and try to get a laugh out of them (assuming you wouldn’t say that to John if he were there), you might get some laughs, but you’ll also be planting seeds of distrust instead.
More broadly, apply the same technique even if the person is present. If you’re hanging out with two people you know who don’t know each other well and the subject is about desserts, tell Jenny, “Sarah here is an incredible baker. She made the best chocolate chip cookies for our Christmas party.”
None of this has to be obvious or overt. Don’t force these sort of things. But if you can associate in people’s heads a sense of “this person builds people up” instead of “this person tears people down,” especially (but not exclusively) when the person they’re building/tearing isn’t there, you’re going to build a sense of trust in others.
#21
I pretend everyone I meet is in love with me. I mean, not *literally*. I’m not a complete narcissist. But I’ll start conversations with strangers who give me a smile or a knowing look. Assuming they like me makes me feel more likable. I’ve made friends more easily in my 30s than I did at any other time in my life.
Romanticizing my life is fun, and gets me to act more vivacious and charismatic. It’s also just good practice for higher-stakes social interactions where I might lack confidence.
#22
I’m not a native speaker of English, and I live in the UK. I tend to ask native speakers what a ‘cheeky Nando’s with the lads’ means, and ask them to explain why it is cheeky. For some reason this always fixes the situation when conversation is slow.
#23
If you’re in a group of 3+ and someone is talking to you and you don’t want to participate / respond / lead the conversation, rather than looking at the speaker, look at the other person. The speaker won’t be able to keep talking at you whilst you’re looking at the third person, they’ll have to quickly switch and address their speech to that third person. You’re then free to slink away quietly. Works every time.
#24
An effective way to deal with passive-aggressive comments is “stupid and cheerful.” Don’t read into their comment, rise above it.
#25
Tell the truth all of the time. Go out of your way to correct yourself when you’ve mispoken. Example: “I was talking to Fred last Tuesday. We were… wait, no, I’m sorry, it was Wednesday.”
Along those lines, if you mess up, fess up to it without offering excuses and apoligize. If it’s work-related, maybe throw in how you’ve ensured it won’t happen again.
Do these things and people will rarely doubt you and if they do, others will stand up for you.
#26
If there is something going on that is important, mostly at work, and someone asks you “have you heard about (fill in the blank)?” ALWAYS answer no. That person can tell you what they understand of it and it gives you different perspectives on the issue, different points of view, and you might even get new pieces of information that you just saying “yes” to the question might not be told to you because they assume you know everything.
I have done this for years and it is very effective in gathering information.
#27
If you’re a manager or just in general when asking people to do something you’ll get way more out of them if you say something to the effect of “I know you’re busy, but can you do X for me?”
The effect of this is threefold.
First, I’ve validated you. The work you’re doing is being noticed and I know that what I’m about to ask is going to be an inconvenience. You can further emphasize this aspect by saying something like “but I can only trust you to do this”
Second, I’ve set the expectation that what I’m about to ask for is more important than your current work/tasks. I know you’re busy, but I’m going to ask you to do this other task anyway. Therefore this must be more important. You can emphasize this by saying something about how this is needed ASAP or for a specific client or whatever.
Third, by phrasing it as a question, I’ve given you the option to tell me, “No.” I’ve heavily encouraged you to say, “Yes,” because of the two above points, but I have at least given you the option. This is important because it does legitimately give them the chance to confirm with you that their other tasks aren’t more important.
Psychologically speaking, by giving them this option it has become their choice. They decided they would do this thing for you. It was not mandated to them. So they have a more vested personal interest in completing it.
Many people do this subconsciously.
#28
Have a hard time with eye to eye contact? don’t do it! Talk to their nose, you need to be uncomfortably close for people to realize you aren’t looking at them .
#29
In emergencies, there’s this old instinct in us to be less likely to act if there’s more people around us. It worked wonders when we where hunter gatherers, don’t stick out and all that.
So people aren’t being mean, it’s a really old survival mechanism that stops them from helping out. It’s as fundamental to us as any other instinct, so it’s difficult to break out of.
What’s neat is that there is a super simple solution. Point a single person out and tell them what to do. It will almost always work and people are now not worried about doing the wrong thing. The entire group is now free to act.
I’ve had to use it once and it really worked.
#30
At a group dinner, after the bill is paid, I say “welp” slap my hands down in both knees and standup. So far everyone then stands up after me and the group heads out the door.
#31
Take note of every single thing that gives you even the slightest bit of joy. My cat purred when I pet her today, it’s great sleeping temperature weather, my clothes are very comfortable, the flower I saw was pretty, I saw a dog, there was a rainbow reflection on the floor, my shower felt great, that joke was funny, things like that! Plus a constant gratitude list, I’m grateful I have access to good tasting food, I’m grateful for birds because look cool when they fly, I’m grateful for the cat tower I got because my cat loves it, I’m grateful for the McDonald’s free apple pie coupon I got because it was really good. It changed my perspective a lot.
#32
When someone is defensive or standoffish, I will ask for their advice on something small – even if I already know the answer.
People relax fast when they feel useful instead of judged. It flips the dynamic from tension to helpful / teamwork almost instantly.
#33
Whenever something bad is happening in my life, I remind myself that one day I’ll be gone and it won’t matter then what is happening now.
#34
When I can feel tension rising during an argument, I dramatically call out an invisible “distraction”. I learned this from watching dog whisper.
When Caesar uses a sudden distraction method to break the dogs concentration and diffuse a potentially aggressive situation. He usually touches the dog quickly which in turn startles the dog and breaks their concentration.
For example: My bf and his brother are both hard headed and can get pretty tense in the simplest of situation. Once they start talking through clenched teeth, I know I need to step in. I usually break their concentration by pretending to fall/ trip over something or by loudly exclaiming something like “Oh s**t what was that?” or groaning loudly saying “oh no” to which my response to their “what’s wrong” is me saying “nothing” and looking on the ground like I lost something.
This also works on my bfs infused ADHD issues and talking non-stop to someone who has lost interest.
#35
If you’re about to cry in a situation where you really don’t want to cry, immediately start doing difficult math problems in your head at a rapidfire pace. As soon as you solve one, jump into a new one and keep going until you notice the physical cues for crying have subsided, then for the love of all that is holy, avoid direct thoughts of whatever made you emotional to begin with lol
The key is the math problems need to be difficult enough that you have to stop and follow the operational steps in your head, but also still solvable for you personally. If they’re too easy, your brain will give the answer without switching emotional/cognitive gears. If it’s too hard, your brain will disregard the question & keep you in the emotional place.
This has been very effective for me when I needed to hold it together for just a little longer. Just be sure to circle back and feel those feels fully when it’s safe to do-so so you can actually work through them. It’s detrimental to your mental & physical health to constantly push them away, so…don’t do that.
#36
It’s tremendously hard to maintain high levels of anxiety / disassociation when eating really sour foods. I keep emergency sour candy on me / my bag / my car…. etc. to pop in when I’m feeling particularly stressed or anxious.
#37
Every time I feel insecure, I think of the dumbest person I can who has done what I’m trying to accomplish and think “well if that idiot can, so can I.”.
#38
Remember what they said to you the last time you saw them. If you last saw them a month ago, if you remember they were doing a thing , remember that thing and mention it.
#39
I’ve seen people swear by “The Solid Snake Method” for conversation. Just repeat something about the other person’s statement as a question.
“As a question?”
Yeah it keeps the conversation going.
“Keeps the conversation going?”
Yeah at the very least it shows that you’re paying attention.
“Paying attention?”
At this point though you should probably stop. It doesn’t work forever, and it doesn’t work all the time. Probably shouldn’t use it to respond to questions with another question either.
#40
Anytime someone brings up a political thing I don’t want to engage with I simply say “I don’t have enough information to have an opinion on this” it almost always shuts down these conversations.
#41
Being slightly more polite than the norm (which isn’t saying much) is very disarming. “Yes sir, no ma’am” is a gesture of respect, and everyone wants to feel respected.
#42
So you know that ‘counting sheep’ trick thats supposed to help you fall asleep? That never really worked for me. Ive got ADHD so maybe its a case of not being able to keep focus because I’d find it boring and get distracted by other thoughts
My trick though is very similar – I just think of fun stuff and literally daydream about it, just with my eyes closed. As long as the theme/topic/story that I’m daydreaming about is consistent, and my eyes are shut, then I’ll be asleep within minutes even if I’m not actually that tired. Works for if I’m trying to get to sleep on a sofa or on a flight or something too.
I don’t know why this works, I assume it’s similar to counting sheep but better suited for how my brain works, but my fiancee doesn’t have ADHD and it works for her as well 🤷.
#43
If you act a mood, then your actual mood will follow.
Feeling bad but need to get it together for some event? Just smile, and your mood will follow. It doesn’t cure depression, but it’s a good way to get in the zone for something temporary,
Mostly useful if you’re at a party and you want to be having fun but you’re just not feeling it at the moment.
#44
If you and your partner are most likely going to get in a fight about something, you can negate any and all shouting by carrying a cat to deliver whatever news will cause shouting. No one will yell at you if you’re holding a cat, and you’ll just go right to the go for a drive/sit in room/smoke phase.
#45
When speaking to a large crowd, speak to them as if youre speaking directly to one person.
#46
Acknowledge, Align, Assure:
• I understand your concern,
• I’d feel the same way in your position,
• I assure you we’ll find a solution.
#47
Raise my eyebrows when I smile hello. Usually we only do that for people we recognize so it makes people feel like they are already accepted.
#48
If someone comes up to you and says hi, and you can’t remember how you know that person, then say “how have you been” instead of “how are you”. 99% of the time they’ll start telling you about something that was going on the last time they saw you, and that will jog your memory about where you know them from.
#49
Eating and fear don’t go together. So if you’re scared or anxious, eat something. Doesn’t really matter what as long as you’re chewing.
A being that fights for survival wouldn’t stop to eat mid-fight, which means the brain is conditioned by your ancestors spending centuries to fight for survival that if you’re eating, you’re safe.
#50
My dad told me once “Act like you’ve known someone their whole life”.
#51
If I can’t remember someone’s name I apologize and follow-up with something like “I used to be in the military so I’m used to everyone having their name on their shirt. I’m really sorry”.
A lot of people are bad with names and I really don’t know anyone who remembers them. Saying this takes all of the social pressure out of the situation when I can’t remember someone’s name and it gives everyone an out: I say why I don’t remember a name and I also imply that it’s okay if you forgot mine.
#52
When dealing with narcissistic people who are causing issues at work, don’t look them in the eye, look at their forehead when addressing them. It disarms and belittles them. Only speak to them when absolutely necessary, and use a tactic called gray rocking otherwise.
They’ll eventually leave or get out of your way because you don’t feed their social battery.
#53
Every time i enter the room i assume i’m the dumbest person in there. it’s the mindset that helps me read people better and prevents me from acting self centered. people just love to feel smarter and more experienced, and sometimes you can learn many things from them as well.
#54
1.When someone directs anger in your direction that is either not meant for you or is an overreaction to what caused the anger, be overly apologetic and really “lay it on thick” they will usually realize they were irrational in their reaction and end up apologetic towards you.
2. If someone doesn’t want to give you information and is actively gatekeeping info you need after asking. Instead of asking, act like you have it figured out and tell them you know the right answer and feed them the wrong answer. People are so quick wanting to correct you with the proper information they will forget they meant to gatekeep it in the first place.
#55
If I’m at a family event and the person I’m talking to has adult kids, I always ask them for parenting advice since they’ve done such a good job. It instantly gets them talking and I can just chill.