A few words about stress. This word has become very common today, even fashionable in its own way. Every now and then you hear: “Don’t make me feel stressed!”, “Now I’ll make you so stressed that you won’t recognize your own people!” etc. It is easy to see that in such expressions stress is understood as something unwanted that can cause trouble. And those who say so do not know that the author of the theory of stress, the Canadian scientist Hans Selye (1907–1982), who published the first works on this topic back in the late 30s of the last century, at the last stage of his life revised his previous views in many respects. In 1974, he published the book Stress Without Distress. Already in the title, the old concept of “stress” is contrasted with the new one – “distress”. What is their difference? “Stress” is an English word that is widely used in everyday speech when talking about processes such as “tension, pressure, pressure.” And “distress” translated from English means “grief, unhappiness, exhaustion, malaise.” The difference, as is easy to see, is significant.

So, according to the final views of G. Selye, people should not and are not able to avoid stress, because many factors that cause stress (stressors) are the most important activators in the life of every person. Since stress accompanies almost any activity, only those who do nothing can avoid it. According to G. Selye, idleness itself is also stress, or rather distress. Here are a few excerpts from the named book by G. Selye: “Stress is the flavor and taste of life.” “Complete freedom from stress leads to death”. “Even to death?” – many may be surprised. Yes, precisely to death. After all, the body, without receiving stimulating stress influences, ceases to function properly and gradually begins to die.

Thus, we draw a fundamentally new conclusion: stress is good. But in cases where stress factors bring grief, unhappiness, and suffering, they become distressed. And distress as a harmful phenomenon must be combated. Better yet, prevent it from occurring as much as possible.

In contrast to distress, the Swedish scientist Lennard Levy proposed another term - “eustress” (the Greek prefix “ev” means “good, favorable”).

So, at present everything is put in its place: any effect on the body is stress: if it causes harm, it is called distress, and if it brings clear benefits - eustress.

The question naturally arises: how to protect yourself from various distressing influences, from everything that is harmful to health? Of course, a lot depends on the spiritual and material improvement of the life of society, on its attitude towards nature; in many cases, various medications and other means from the medical arsenal can help. But still, the greatest opportunities for self-defense lie within the person himself - only many do not know about it. They don’t know that nature has endowed our body with powerful mechanisms self-regulation. The ability to use the capabilities of these mechanisms is a great strength in the fight against distressing factors, and this skill should be adopted by everyone. In other words, everyone who does not want to become a victim of various negative circumstances generated by our difficult and stressful life and, in spite of everything, strives to maintain and strengthen their health, simply must learn to manage themselves, their mental and physical state.

Three golden rules of mental hygiene

Several thousand years before our era, people realized that there should be two main directions in medicine. The servants of the first are called treat sick people, and representatives of the second – keep healthy healthy. This second branch of medicine, which in ancient times was practiced by the goddess Hygieia, began to be called hygiene in her honor. And its section, the task of which is to ensure the well-being of the neuropsychic sphere, is called mental hygiene. This will be discussed later.

It must be said that hygienists are still little valued in our country. Many people think like this: “What kind of doctor is this?! He only gives advice on how to live correctly. We know this ourselves. A real doctor is the one who will cure us when we are sick.” And for some reason they forget that in all respects it is much better live without getting sick, due to compliance with hygiene rules, than, get sick, get treatment.

Living while always staying healthy is an ideal. Without strictly following the instructions of hygienists, it is simply impossible to achieve it. This leads to the following conclusion: hygiene should be considered the leading direction in medicine today, and, even more so, in the medicine of the future. That future when people begin to follow the advice of hygienists every day and, thanks to this, learn to live without getting sick. In the meantime, let’s get acquainted with three basic rules, the observance of which will help maintain the neuropsychic sphere in optimally good condition.

Rule one. I formulate it perhaps somewhat unexpectedly and categorically, but I believe that this formulation is better remembered: "Don't suffer!"

“How can you not suffer,” many will object, “when there are so many possible reasons for suffering?”

“And all the same,” I answer, “don’t suffer!” No matter what!

The fact is that many people, having found themselves in trouble, in a distressed situation, begin to “swim” in their suffering: they think about them all the time, share them with others, look for sympathy and are offended if they do not meet it; When they go to bed, they go over all the details of what happened in their heads, and when they wake up, they again begin to think about how unhappy they are. And they do not know that, reveling in suffering, they are terribly harming themselves and their health. How?

When a person suffers, when he is captured by negative emotions (for example, such as grief, anxiety, fear, mental or physical pain), all systems of his body begin to function much worse than usual. And the worse the suffering, the worse it is. Those who suffer find it more difficult to think; the decisions they make in such a state very often cause regret or bewilderment, even protest, among those around them; their sleep is disturbed and their appetite disappears. The cardiovascular system becomes prone to the occurrence of spasmodic conditions - hence hypertensive crises, strokes, angina attacks, myocardial infarctions. Breathing becomes tight and difficult; The activity of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, physical strength decreases, etc. Therefore, we conclude: suffering is harmful!

Those who do not want to fight their suffering are like a person who, having caught his finger in a door, screams about how much it hurts, sheds tears, asks for help, but does not try to free his finger. But first you need to get out of the traumatic situation, and only then think about what to do next: stick your finger under a stream of cold water, run to the emergency room, or redo the door so that what happened doesn’t happen again.

This example of physical suffering is, of course, deliberately simplified - freeing a pinched finger is not that difficult. It is much more difficult to free yourself from mental suffering. After all, they, figuratively speaking, dig into the brain and heart! And so, seeing a friend with a hunched back, lowered head, dull eyes and learning that trouble has happened to him, we, showing sympathy, tell him something like this: “Don’t think about it! Give it up, forget it! Get it out of your head!

Good advice, but, alas, impossible. For the reason that you cannot throw suffering out of your head, like an unnecessary piece of paper from your pocket. But there is another way, another mechanism of self-help - suffering is possible displace. How? A mental image that can improve your mood personally. In this mental image there can be a person dear to you, a beautiful landscape, a wonderful melody, a favorite activity, etc.

Before examining methods of influence, let us examine the question of what influence is and what influence is.

These are completely different things. How are they different from each other?

Imagine two men talking on the street. And then a usable female walks past them, smoothly swaying her lower back. They instantly forget what they were talking about, all their smart conversations remain somewhere on the side, and they follow her with their eyes. Did she have any effect on them? No, she was just walking by. Did she influence them? Of course it did. The question is: what is influence, and how does it differ from influence?

In the yard where I grew up, there lived a local policeman. Like Pushkin, his name was Alexander Sergeevich. He was about two meters tall and had the build of a doorway. He always wore civilian clothes and a police cap on his head. He spent most of his time in the basement rocking chair. So, when he appeared in the yard, he immediately created a certain climate. Immediately everyone began to speak more quietly, all sorts of parties stopped, all the punks in the yard ran away and hid, all the hooligans tried to behave as inconspicuously as possible, and everyone stood up and greeted him. Did he influence anyone? He was simply walking from the rocking chair to the Stronghold. But by his mere appearance he had a certain influence on people.

Influence begins with appearance. With caste identification. We can make an impact simply by our appearance. When we choose a caste identity, we choose an instrument of influence.

What do people immediately pay attention to? In appearance, posture. For the chosen clothing style. On an appropriately chosen role-playing game - who you play in this life. Even when we see a person for the first time, we immediately determine for ourselves who is in front of us: “A sad smart guy” or “A charming scoundrel” or vice versa – “Intellectual Superman”.

But if we choose a certain model of behavior, it means that we are already acting purposefully, but this action is not aimed at a specific person. This is influence. We haven’t done or said anything yet, but with our clothes, movements, and facial expressions, we have exerted a certain influence, aroused a certain attitude towards ourselves.

Influence begins with appearance

Color influence

One of the first factors that people pay attention to is the color of clothing.

The color we choose not only reflects our psycho-emotional state, but it, in turn, begins to influence us. That is, if we accustom ourselves to a certain color, we change our behavior according to this color.

The first color that affects people's psyche is black! If a person accustoms himself to the color black in clothes, he develops certain traits - authoritarianism, complete rejection of other people's opinions and the widespread imposition of his own opinion on everyone.

The opposite color to black is white. This is the color of adaptation. It means the desire to make contact, to establish a common language. Mix any color with black, it will be black. Mix any color with white, it will be the same color, but a little thinner.

Between black and white is the color gray. The so-called “civilian uniform” is a gray suit. This is emotional passivity, that is, not involvement, neither here nor there. “Citizen, let’s pass,” and the citizen can rejoice, can shout, can be indignant, but this should not in any way affect the state of the one who said: “Citizen, let’s pass.”

Next are warm colors. The hottest color is red. What is red in nature? Blood! Fire! Red symbolizes aggression. Therefore, when GDP appears at negotiations at the Council of Europe in a red tie, everything falls into place. If I were him, I would even write a “badge” like this: “everyone in the stall!” – this concerns everyone in the Council of Europe. Here is the behavior pattern: aggression - adjustment - aggression and - black suit - suppression. Suppression of interlocutors.

Yellow is the color of positive activity, the color of the sun. The halos of advanced people were always painted golden, that is, yellow. And orange, respectively - aggression and positive activity - in half.

Now brown. What is brown in nature? Right! This color is by no means associated with chocolate, or even coffee. Therefore, avoid brown color at all costs. Also stay away from those who like brown.

Cool colors remain. Blue! In nature, the color blue is the sky and the sea. Those who often look at the sky and the sea are dreamers and romantics. Anyone who chooses blue cultivates romanticism and sentimentality.

Lilac, violet, lilac are also cool colors. Introversion, self-absorption, the desire to play your own movie in your head.

Green – focusing attention on yourself.

All kinds of cells, drawings, polka dots - this is neuroticism, nervous exhaustion. If you accustom yourself to such “speckles”, you develop neuroticism in yourself. Therefore, I always try to dissuade my followers from any “polka dots”, “speckles” and so on and so forth.

Decorations

The craving for wearing shiny objects, all kinds of bracelets, rings, watches with metal bracelets, belt buckles, silver and gold badges on clothes are all signs of psychopathy. Those who prefer such things tend to be slightly psychopathic. This is neither good nor bad. This is a feature!

By the way, about psychotypes. There are many nuances here related to professionalism.

I can tell you for sure that, for example, not a single good analyst can help but be schizoid. Because only a schizoid can look at a problem from different angles, and this is a mandatory quality for an analyst. And any good artist is also certainly a schizoid. This is a person who sees everything a little differently. He cannot help but have an altered reality.

On the other hand, no good coach can help but be a psychopath. A psychopath is, firstly, a slightly paranoid person fixated on one idea, and secondly, he is usually prone to not always adequate words and not always adequate actions. This is not a hysterical person - a hysterical person who kicks everything, screams and fights in hysterics and in tears. In a psychopath, the reaction may be acute or painful, or, on the contrary, it may be dull. A good coach simply must be a psychopath, otherwise he will not be able to inspire and influence. This is a pattern, and it doesn’t matter what field he trains in – martial arts, hockey or psychology.

An accountant must be an epileptoid. Otherwise, he simply will not be able to thoughtfully and painstakingly do the same thing. Only an epileptoid can walk around a store and repeatedly ask prices for goods that he does not need. Or, for example, cutting down trees with a jigsaw. Cyclothymics are individuals who have seven Fridays a week, which change all the time. Either he is a schizoid, or he is paranoid.

Managers - sales or purchasing - are all necessarily paranoid individuals. They definitely need to sell or buy, which means they have to get stuck. There is even a separate mental illness - manager's syndrome. I'm not saying it's a disease, it's an accentuation. A disease is already a diagnosis. And accentuation is the general direction.

Effect of smell

What begins to influence people immediately after you appear, before you speak, before you look? First of all, the smell affects others. Why is smell so important? In the animal world, everyone perceives each other by smell. The same thing happens among people. Because people began to smoke, sniff various substances and chew gum, the human sense of smell, of course, worsened, but did not disappear completely. Something in the smell is still retained for perception.

The scent of a dominant male is the most attractive. It suppresses the will of other males and causes a positive reaction in females. The smell of a dominant female should emanate from the female, which, in turn, suppresses the will of other females and attracts males.

One advertisement touches me - they show a girl riding on a tram, and she has a pig drawn under her arm. And then she uses some kind of deodorant, and everyone becomes crazy about her. This ad is complete idiocy. Remember: if you have a normal metabolism, the smell of sweat may not be unpleasant. In persons of the same sex, this odor is neutral, that is, neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It is attractive to people of the opposite sex. But this only applies to the smell of fresh sweat. The smell becomes unpleasant after 12 hours, when the sweat begins to decompose.

Therefore, I still recommend washing regularly. But I don’t recommend using deodorants and other perfumes. For one simple reason: in our time, all sorts of sodomite couturiers and gay individuals are involved in the invention of perfumes. Of course, they cannot choose the right scents - neither for men nor for women.

What scents should you use?

My friends, there is no need to invent bicycles. Everything was invented long before you. Read and remember! Residents of the Arabian Peninsula, the Maghreb and North Africa, and residents of the Middle East have been using these systems for thousands of years.

For men, the dominant scent is musk or musk. These are the glands of the musk deer gazelle. This gazelle is found in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. She has musk glands, from which musk is secreted. A huge amount of specific “perfume” is made from one gram of musk. The strongest musk – the hardest and most dominant – is black. White is inferior to black in strength and intensity, it is softer. There is also a middle one - not white and not black - red.

For women, the dominant scent is ambergris. This substance is secreted by female sperm whales, and the male sperm whale smells this smell tens of kilometers through the water. And rushes in the appropriate direction, without making a mistake. Real perfumers can also make a lot of useful things out of ambergris. How do musk and amber work? Bypassing human consciousness. You may like these smells, you may not like them - it makes absolutely no difference. Because they have other methods of influence. In fact, this is to some extent a deception of nature. You add certain enzymes to yourself, which, by and large, suppress the will of other people, and the more concentrated they are, the stronger the suppression.

So, the smells of musk and amber give the dominant individual a feeling of even greater dominance. As already mentioned, they suppress, subjugate individuals of the same sex and cause attraction among individuals of the opposite sex.

There is nothing complicated at all in everything that I offer; in fact, everything is insanely and fabulously simple.

In principle, all psychology is a very simple thing. Remember, only what is simple always works. Complex things won't work. Anyone who has practiced martial arts knows: you can learn a lot of beautiful coordination and complex techniques, but will they be useful in practice? In real combat conditions, two kicks, two punches, and two throws work. Well, or three hits and two throws. All. Also in psychology, the simplest techniques work best.

Posture and plasticity

So, first of all, we perceive the smell of a person. What are we celebrating next? Posture and plasticity of movements, body position.

Few people can boast of good posture - after all, since childhood we have been taught to slouch. We were taught to walk straight, like a string. If we stood up straight, we were told that we were proud, arrogant, and uplifted. Girls were supposed to be embarrassed by the fact that their bust was beginning to form, and not to put it forward, but to hide it, pushing out their shoulders and bending over.

Moreover, from time to time we wanted to look as harmless as possible in front of the teachers, and for this we had to cross our upper limbs over our genitals and our lower ones over each other. And at the same time, of course, I had to slouch and push my shoulders forward, press my head into my shoulders, and wear a very smart expression on my face.

If a person is beaten or constantly intimidated, he will begin to hold his hands, as if covering himself, and begin to slouch. How will he feel about this?

Check it out for yourself. Try bending your back and slouching. Lower your head and arms and look around from under your brows. How do you feel? Proud, free, independent? Probably not! Now straighten up! Pull your shoulders back, put your leg slightly forward, place your hand on your belt, and straighten your head. Have your feelings, your facial expressions changed? So, does our internal state depend on body position and posture? Certainly!

Exercise 1

Raise your right arm, raise your head, look up and stretch strongly towards the ceiling. Pull your shoulder as far as possible until your back cracks. Don't be afraid, it won't come off! Slowly, through the side, lower your hand.

Do the same with the other hand. Pull until it hurts, until you crunch, so that your shoulder and back are stretched as much as possible.

Now both hands are up, until it hurts, until they crunch.

Now slowly lower your shoulders and pull your crown up.

Shoulders forward, up, towards the ears, and down, back. Remember your posture, it should be exactly like this.

Exercise 2

Spread your arms to the sides and reach with your hands where you cannot reach. First with the right hand, then with the left. Slowly lower your arms.

And again: shoulders forward, towards the ears, and down, back.

Sit on a chair while keeping your back straight. Hands rest on the upper thigh, mid-thigh. Your back is straight, bend your back muscles. Pull your shoulders back. Buttocks also back, straighten your back so that the s-shaped curve of the spine decreases.

You can stay in this position for as long as you like. Have you ever tried to walk somewhere with a heavy weight on your back? If you bend your back, you will get tired after a hundred steps. You can walk easily only if your back is straight. It's the same here. You can work on a computer, you can sit for hours with your back straight. Remember - the back of the chair is for disabled people! Forget about her. Just sit as far as possible with your buttocks, bend at the waist, pull your shoulders back - and that's it.

If, under the weight of your brain, your head tilts first to one shoulder, then to the other, you need to fight it. How?

Exercise 3

Take your head with your hand, support your ear with your shoulder, pull your head slightly, tilting your ear towards your shoulder. Now in the other direction.

After this, the head will remain straight for some time. Then again, under the weight of the brain, it will begin to lean either to the right or to the left. Then repeat the exercise again.

Exercise 4

Sit on your left buttock, lift your right leg, pull your toe as far as possible. Sit on your right buttock. Pull your left leg as far as possible. Sit up straight and, while sitting, stretch your head upward.

These exercises need to be done constantly. Indirect consequences - gain a little height, a couple of centimeters. Checked! The legs and arms will probably lengthen slightly. In fact, of course, the bones will not become longer; this happens due to the fact that the joints straighten and cease to be compressed.

Plastic movements are also very important.

The softer and more flexible your movements, the greater the feeling of strength emanating from you. You should always move a little with reserve. As if you are showing that you have a little more strength than you need for this movement.

There was such a weightlifter - David Riegert. Having lifted the barbell, he always threw it up a little. He threw it over and laid it on the ground. This did not require any effort, because the barbell is thrown up with your feet - just a little upward. But how it impressed the audience! Even if he lifted the barbell with all his strength, with circles in front of his eyes, it seemed to the audience that he did it playfully.

For women there is a slightly different plastic scheme. Dear ladies, you must constantly, every moment, move as if a huge number of men are looking at you with admiration, at the same time licking their lips as you go. And a huge number of women look at you with hatred and envy. All the time, even when alone with yourself, you should imagine that they are looking at you.

Look and smile

Can you look straight and smile?

From childhood we were taught to hide our eyes. For example, you are walking down the street, your mother is holding your hand. A man passes by in a wheelchair. You are interested, you want to look at him, but you hear: “Don’t stare at your uncle, it’s not good!” A drunken aunt is picking her nose, you also stare at her, but they tell you again: “Don’t look at your aunt, it’s indecent!”

We have heard too often: “Why are you looking at me like that?” – and learned to lower their eyes.

We were also weaned off smiling and laughing. For example, a teacher at school sits on a chair where one of the students carefully placed a button - and jumps up. This is very funny, you burst out laughing, and you are punished for it. Dad hammers a nail into the wall, hits his finger instead of the nail, and bursts into a tirade about the imperfections of the universe. And now you laugh - and get a slap on the head. We were taught not to smile, not to laugh, to wear a serious, sad expression on our faces.

You should practice the skill of smiling and talking to people with a smile on your face. By smile I don’t mean the stupid Hollywood “cheese”, but something else.

Exercise 5

Relax your facial muscles, look straight ahead into the eyes of your imaginary interlocutor (you can stand in front of a mirror) and slightly lift the corners of your lips. Now, without lowering the corners of your lips and looking straight ahead, say a phrase. Practice this skill: speaking with a slight smile, looking into your eyes.

This technique is called soft suppression. On a subconscious level, a smile is a grin, a direct look into the eyes is aggression. Consciousness perceives a smile as a manifestation of goodwill, and a look into the eyes as openness and sincerity. Therefore, when communicating with you, people will have a strong contradiction. Consciously, they will perceive you as a friendly and open person, and subconsciously, as a source of overwhelming aggression. And this is where a remarkable psychological phenomenon appears: the transformation of fear into respect. Subconsciously fearing you, people will begin to look for positive traits in you, find them and be filled with respect for your person.

If a person does not smile and the corners of his lips are constantly downturned, this means that in front of you is a pessimist, a loser. And failure is contagious, like the flu. Stay away from such people. If you notice that the corners of your lips are starting to droop, do this exercise:

Exercise 6

Place your thumbs on your upper lip and turn your fingers inward to raise the corners of your lips. And you say something, for example: “Winter! The peasant, triumphant, drives his Hummer out of the gate.” Slowly you let go of your hands and leave this smile.

Do the exercise for a minute, two to three times a day, until the corners of your lips begin to rise on their own.

Everything that was instilled in us in childhood was reflected in our psyche - we could no longer withstand direct gaze, we weakened.

A strong person should have a straight gaze and always have a slight smile on his face.

The managers of the Sony Corporation, in general, are not the last sheep in the world, spent 150 hours in 2003 practicing a constant smile and direct gaze - and this in a country where smiling and looking into the eyes is a national tradition. This training was necessary in order to learn how to subordinate other people to your will even more effectively.

Here is an interesting episode that shows how important it is to use facial expressions correctly. This is the story of how a French doctor from the International Red Cross died in Chechnya. Several... how to call it more delicately... employees of an illegal armed formation were dragging a stretcher with a wounded comrade. And the Frenchman, like all Europeans, saw them and smiled at them. People have left the battle and are carrying a wounded comrade, and in front of them some kind of monkey is standing and grinning. What is their reaction? The doctor was shot dead on the spot. Then they only found out that he, it turns out, was not gloating, but simply smiling.

Therefore, you shouldn’t have this American “keep smiling” either. If a person meets you halfway with a smile from ear to ear, does it mean that he is open, friendly, and well disposed towards you? In English-speaking countries in the 80s, maybe. But in the Slavic world, such a wide smile would most likely mean doubt in the mental competence of the interlocutor. Your smile should be light, just an even, relaxed position, slightly raised corners of the lips.

Techniques of influence using facial expressions and gestures

There are various techniques for influencing your interlocutor. Body position, gestures, facial expressions, gaze - all of these can be tools for your influence on people.

Facial expressions are one of the tools of influence.

Let's say your goal is to suppress a person.

The technique is simple: you look past the person, with a slight half-smile on your face - slightly raised corners of your lips. You look at the person and your smile disappears. Look away again and a smile appears.

And so on several times.

This is almost imperceptible, but it bypasses consciousness. After five or six repetitions, your actions - the appearance and disappearance of a smile - begin to influence the psyche of the interlocutor, his internal state. A person begins to suspect that something is wrong with him, looks at his clothes, and so on. However, he does not understand why he feels uncomfortable.

If, on the contrary, you want to lift a person’s mood, win him over, and draw him into positive communication, you must act in the opposite way.

You maintain a neutral expression when you look away from the person, and smile slightly when you look back at them. And you repeat this several times in the same way. You need to smile just slightly; a wide smile can lead a person to think that you are laughing at him.

Your interlocutor receives a positive emotional background attached to your person. This is an effect aimed at bypassing consciousness to induce positive emotions.

As a basic technique of influence, I recommend keeping your gaze just below the eyes of your interlocutor.

A person always subconsciously tries to catch the eye of the person he is talking to. And in order to catch your gaze, he will have to slouch, that is, take a subordinate position in which it is very difficult to maintain pride and dignity. This technique also bypasses consciousness.

Grandfather Freud was a very smart guy. He wrote that we always conduct two dialogues: one takes place at the level of consciousness (the words we pronounce), the other at the level of gestures, facial expressions and glances.

There is a conference of psychologists-trainers. A man and a woman are talking about conducting corporate trainings and investing in personnel. The lady periodically lowers her eyes and glances at the male. The male periodically glances at the lady's neckline and reluctantly turns his gaze back to her eyes. At the level of consciousness, they conduct a dialogue about training and investment. On an animal, subconscious level, this is an erotic self-presentation, an erotic worldview. There are two dialogues going on at the same time - and this always happens.

* * *

Two men are negotiating a corporate merger. One man leans back in his chair and, rocking on it, says to the other: “Sorry, I forgot your name and patronymic.” The second one puts his hands behind his head, crosses his legs, with the soles facing the interlocutor and asks: “Pavel Pavlovich, excuse me, but are you really the first person in your company?” On a conscious level, they clarified each other's positions. On a subconscious level, everything is not so simple. The first man, pretending to have forgotten the name of his interlocutor, demonstrated his position as the owner. The second, taking the appropriate pose (hands behind his head, crossing his legs, swaying his toes) demonstrated his superiority, the extreme degree of superiority. At the subconscious level, their dialogue sounded something like this:

– I am a dominant. Low-ranking, take a humiliated pose.

- No, it’s me who’s dominant, it’s you who’s low-ranking, take a humiliating pose.

One can guess that they were unlikely to come to an agreement.

Body position

Let's consider how you can influence people with gestures. The position of the body relative to the interlocutor is also of great importance. You stand opposite the interlocutor - he feels the confrontation (Fig. 1). The corresponding hand gesture increases the confrontation; the interlocutor perceives your posture as aggressive (Fig. 2). The closer you get, the more aggression you feel (Figure 3).

Rice. 1

Rice. 2

Rice. 3

Rice. 4

If you stand next to the person, the opposition disappears, even if you are standing close enough (Fig. 4). This pose means that you seem to be resisting something together, and does not cause a feeling of aggression in the interlocutor, but, on the contrary, unites you.

You sit in front of your interlocutor, leaning slightly towards him - he perceives you as a character interested in communication (Fig. 5). But if you increase the tilt, creating the appearance of being ready to jump (legs are brought under the center of gravity, hands rest on the upper third of the thigh), the interlocutor feels quite strong aggression - as if you could jump up and rush at him at any moment (Fig. 6). He feels it on a subconscious level.

Rice. 5

Rice. 6

You sit straight, without deviating anywhere (Fig. 7). This position expresses complete neutrality. If you lean back and take a relaxed position (Fig. 8),

Rice. 7

Rice. 8

you are showing a lack of interest in the conversation. But if at the same time you sit next to him, the feelings of the interlocutor change - this position shows that, on the one hand, the person is relaxed, on the other hand, he is friendly towards the interlocutor (Fig. 9).

Rice. 9

When you lean back, cross your legs and turn your sole towards the interlocutor, you are expressing disdain (Fig. 10). You can further intensify this feeling by throwing your hands behind your head - an extreme degree of neglect (Fig. 11).

Rice. 10

Rice. 11

At the same time, if you throw your leg in the other direction and turn away from your interlocutor, you are already demonstrating your own uncertainty and fear (Fig. 12). It will be especially expressive if you hold an object in front of you - a folder or a book.

Rice. 12

Most poses take on a completely different meaning when you're talking to a woman. Here the tactics may be slightly different. The “ready to jump” pose, when the legs are under the center of gravity, will be perceived by a man as aggression, and the lady, on the contrary, will perceive it positively, as a manifestation of interest - she has other associations (Fig. 13). If you sit next to her, with a slight tilt towards the interlocutor, you will also evoke positive feelings with some erotic admixture (Fig. 14).

Rice. 13

Rice. 14

When you sit back in your chair, the lady you are talking to feels superior and relaxed (Fig. 15). A closed posture, when you seem to turn away to the side, will cause a feeling of mistrust and tension (Fig. 16).

Rice. 15

Rice. 16

When you, standing opposite, make a movement towards the interlocutor, your movement suppresses the man, and, on the contrary, attracts the woman and causes a response movement towards you (Fig. 17). But if you stand next to a lady, turning in the same direction as her, you show her neutrality and detachment (Fig. 18).

Rice. 17

Rice. 18

By coming very close to your interlocutor, you will cause the same rejection in her as in a man, because this pose expresses too high a degree of aggressiveness, and she will not make any reciprocal movement towards you (Fig. 19).

Rice. 19

Now the situation is when you communicate while sitting at a table. If you sit opposite your interlocutor, you demonstrate your superiority and suppress him (Fig. 20). Leaning back, you show an extreme degree of disdain, telling your interlocutor that he is nothing (Fig. 21).

Rice. 20

Rice. 21

But if you sit on the side, you demonstrate a subordinate position (Fig. 22).

Rice. 22

The interlocutor develops a positive attitude. An even more expressive demonstration of your harmlessness is when you turn slightly in the same direction as your interlocutor (Fig. 23). You can talk about anything, but in this position you will never cause negative emotions. Therefore, if you are communicating with some important person, try to sit on the side. Sitting in this way, you can explain, tell, show something, and they will listen to you. And if you sit opposite, you will cause rejection and opposition.

Rice. 23

An important person can be a lady, that doesn’t change anything. Remember that in human society the criteria for “male” and “female” are shifted. A lady can perceive you as an erotic object only on a deep subconscious level. And on the conscious level, she perceives you as a factor. Not as a person, but as a factor, for example, that interferes with or contributes to her personal enrichment.

Try not to place your hands or elbow on the other person's table. It’s better to put some paper down and show it with a pen. Only the edge, fingertips touching the table (Fig. 24). If you encroach on the territory of your interlocutor (Fig. 25), you cause negative emotions. It's better not to do this.

Rice. 24

Rice. 25

Thus, you see that changing the position of the body relative to the interlocutor affects his mental and emotional state.

The next tool of influence is gestures.

There are gestures aimed at suppressing the will of the interlocutor.

In any monkey community, a dominant male suppresses low-ranking males when he begins to behave towards a low-ranking male as towards a female. He is obliged to take a humiliating pose, to show that he is not a male, but only a female - to cover the phallus with his paws and slouch. And the dominant pats himself on the genital area, points his finger at the genital area of ​​the low-ranking one and shouts at him.

So, the first gesture model: you direct gestures from the outer circle to the inner one. And orient the gesture towards the genital area (Fig. 26).

Rice. 26

The interlocutor does not understand what you are doing, but your gestures suppress his will. It’s as if you are giving a command: “Low-ranking, take a humiliated pose! You are not a male, but only a female!” Considering that in human society the concepts of “male” and “female” are shifted, women can also use this technology of influence.

So there is a whole group of suppressive gestures.

Have you noticed the precise gestures of our former president, now prime minister? Of course, psychologists work with him - professionals of the highest class. But, we must give him his due, he listens to them very carefully, which is rare among political figures - they prefer to think on their own.

It is for this reason that such a large number of negotiators left their jobs in the 90s - after all, in the Slavic world, as in France of the 17th century, “any Gascon is an academician from childhood.”

Imagine three specialists negotiating with armed separatists. One of them is an orientalist, Doctor of Science, familiar with Eastern mentality, culture, and traditions. The second is a conflict specialist. The third is a psychologist-trainer, Ph.D. Three negotiators are having a conversation, and suddenly some mandate holder appears who knows better than these three specialists what to do. He snatches the microphone from them and begins to talk with the separatists himself. Or some owner of large heavy stars appears on his shoulder straps, who has a nursery and a military school behind him, but he also knows everything better than conflict experts and orientalists. As a result, negotiations become meaningless. Well, where is a conflict specialist and orientalist compared to an official or a general?

Let's consider another model of behavior - the Putin-Schroeder interaction.

In 2002, there was a summit meeting that became the first stunning psychological success of the GDP.

Here are the heads of state meeting each other halfway. This is diplomatic protocol. VVP walks, raising his hand, and when he gets within handshake distance, he lowers his hand and looks in bewilderment at Schroeder’s outstretched hand. Schroeder feels extremely uncomfortable at this moment. After this, finally, VVP shakes Schroeder’s hand, giving it from below, and then turning it upward. This gesture automatically sounds like a command: “Even if I started like this, we will end like this,” and “Take a humiliated pose, Schroeder.”

Then VVP turns to journalists so that they can see that the heads of state are shaking hands. Schroeder feels uncomfortable and tries to pull his hand away. Judo training has given our president a strong hand, so he doesn’t let Schroeder pull his hand out. After some time, Schroeder finally pulls his hand away, and VVP goes and says something to him. Schröder can only run after him and participate in the conversation, otherwise there will be a violation of diplomatic protocol, which the German Chancellor, as a European man, cannot allow. And the GDP continues to go. He is shorter, so Schroeder is forced to lean towards him, which does not prevent our president from periodically looking down at the chancellor. As a result, Schroeder is completely suppressed from the very first minutes of the dialogue, and VVP wins the negotiations.

These behavior patterns are very simple. So, the first gesture is “to the leg” (Fig. 27). It means: “Take a humiliating pose.” The continuation of this gesture is a movement towards the genital area. On the conscious level, this is simply an accentuation of attention, but on the subconscious, it is the same thing that a monkey leader does in relation to a male of a lower rank: “You are not a male, but just a female, cover the phallus with your front paws and take a humiliating pose.”

Rice. 27

Another gesture is a wide movement of the hand, without moving the fingers (Fig. 28). It means: “This is your pasture. I'll highlight it for you. Walk and graze." It is very effective to use this gesture in conjunction with the previous one (Fig. 29). This combination seems to say: “Here is your pasture. If you take humiliated poses, graze on him as much as you want.” For example, out loud: “We will create all conditions for the effective operation of small businesses.”

Rice. 28

Rice. 29

And two gestures almost simultaneously: “Of course, those who want to graze will also have to make some effort, that is, everyone will have to take humiliated poses.” These hand movements are invisible, but they bypass consciousness.

A gesture that says: “Stop, be quiet” (Fig. 30). With your words you say, “Please continue, I am listening,” but your gesture says, “Stop, stop, stop.”

Rice. 30

Another stopping gesture (Fig. 31). You make this gesture and say: “Please come in,” but your interlocutor will hesitate at the door. He received two mutually exclusive commands - in words he was told: “Please come in,” but a gesture showed him: “Get out,” and as a result, he could neither enter nor exit.

In words: “Sorry for what you said, repeat,” and with a gesture: “Stop, stop, stop.” And the interlocutor is silent or mumbles something incomprehensible.

Rice. 31

A gesture that sums it up (Fig. 32). In words it may be: “Let’s talk about this some more,” but the gesture says: “To summarize, that’s it. We’ve finished the debate, let’s move on to general issues.”

Rice. 32

Gesture of self-presentation: “I”, “I”, “I”, “Here I am”, “Look at me!”, this gesture says. It can be done with one hand or two (Fig. 33, 34).

Rice. 33

Rice. 34

There are a number of combinations using the self-presentation gesture. For example, a connective meaning “Attention to me” (Fig. 35). Yushchenko really likes to do it. These two gestures say: “Attention!”, “Attention to me,” “What they say, it doesn’t matter, attention to me!” Another combination, using the “to the leg” gesture is “Obey me” (Fig. 36). The same Yushchenko likes to use a bunch of gestures that actively attract attention.

Rice. 35

Rice. 36

Rice. 37

As a rule, he makes three gestures in a row - “to the leg”, “here I am”, “attention to me”. This is not good or bad, it’s just his style of communication. He says: “Take a humiliating pose towards me” and “Listen to me carefully.” And this technique allows him to seek attention even where they don’t want to listen to him. Good psychologists probably work with him too.

Another combination using the gesture of self-presentation means “Only me” (Fig. 37). You say out loud: “Few can cope with this task,” and the gesture clarifies: “In fact, only me!”

The impact of gestures largely depends on the country in which they are used. For example, a gesture recommended by Alan Pease and Dale Carnegie (Fig. 38). For them, this means openness.

Rice. 38

And with us – “Nothing worked out”, that is, recognition of one’s insignificance. Forget this gesture.

You can say a lot with gestures, almost anything. For example, at seminars, to focus the attention of the audience, I like to use a bunch of gestures: “stop”, “here I am”, “attention to me”, “take a humiliated pose”, “here is your pasture”. This can be translated as follows: “Stop talking, I am the one who knows the answers to your questions, so we respectfully hang on my every word, and you will be happy.”

In order to use gestures correctly and influence your interlocutor with them, you need to repeat them several times during the conversation. These gestures are few, you just need to remember them and be able to launch them in time. This is quite enough for any constructive dialogue.

Suppressing the will with a marker

There is another super exercise for suppressing willpower that I really like. Moreover, as a rule, no one understands what the essence of this action is.

After all, many actions bypass consciousness. For example, one competitor managed to disrupt the performance of a great flautist. He sat down in the first row, took out a lemon, began to cut off lemon slices and chew them. The flutist saw this and his mouth filled with saliva. The concert was canceled, but it is unlikely that the musician realized what was the reason for this.

So, we model the behavior of a dominant male who suppresses a low-ranking one. I recommend using a thick marker or twelve-color pen for this activity. They are most suitable in volume as a phallic symbol. A thin student's pen is not suitable - it will not give the necessary association. Smokers can use a cigar case.

When talking to a person, I point a pen (phallic symbol) at him at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and perform certain manipulations with it. This gesture means - low-ranking male, take a humiliating pose, you are not a male, but just a female. These actions cause discomfort for the interlocutor. He doesn’t understand what exactly I’m doing, so he can’t object, but his internal protest will increase until it is completely suppressed.

For women, this exercise has the opposite effect - positively, causing them a lot of positive emotions. You talk with a lady about different things - about flowers, about nature, about the weather - and perform certain manipulations with a pen or marker. After some time, you will notice the appearance of a number of interesting phenomena in the lady - accentuated chest breathing, an uneven blush on the cheeks, a sparkle in the eyes, a swallowing reflex. We have already said that in human society the concepts of “male” and “female” are shifted. Therefore, ladies can safely use this exercise, and the man will feel uncomfortable. Yes, he is talking with a lady, but at the moment this lady is holding a phallic symbol and playing the role of a dominant male who gives the command: “Low-ranking, take a humiliating pose!”

When I spoke about this technique of influence at a corporate training in one of the companies, an interesting picture emerged. At meetings, the first person began periodically shouting at his subordinates: “Come on, put your pen down!”, “Okay, everyone put their pens on the table!” Because at first my lectures were listened to by the middle management of the company, and the first person considered himself too important and big to attend my training. And all the subordinates sat with their hands pointed at the leader and manipulated them. He felt very bad, and he asked me to study with him separately. Naturally, after class, the first thing he did was demand that everyone stop pointing their fingers at him and manipulating his mind.

Charm technology

Feminine charm

Feminine charm lies in the alternating presentation of two things:

a) full sexual availability;

b) complete sexual inaccessibility.

– Sit up straight, take a deep breath, exhale. Slowly cross your legs, no need to cross your arms. Take another deep breath, straighten your hair, take another breath, widen your eyes and narrow them. Look at the man with admiration, as if you had opened a catalog of new jewelry and admired him. Take another pronounced inhale and exhale through your chest. Swallow. Slowly cross one leg over the other. Straighten your hair with a beautiful gesture.

This is a presentation of your sexual availability.

– After two minutes, look at the man with a look as if he had just blown his nose on the floor, urinated in the corner in front of you, or uttered a long obscene tirade - that is, with a mixture of disgust and horror. And even move away from him a little.

This is a presentation of sexual unavailability.

– Now cross your legs again, take a deep breath, widen and narrow your eyes, straighten your hair, swallow and slowly cross one leg over the other.

By alternately repeating these two tactics of behavior, you will very soon ensure that the man’s fuses begin to melt.

Male charm

Male charm lies in the simultaneous presentation of two things:

a) full sexual readiness;

b) lack of sexual initiative.

You must show the female that you are completely fascinated by her. But at the same time, you should not try to grab her by the protruding parts of her body, make an appointment with her, and the like.

– Take your hands out of your pockets. Take a deep breath into your chest, straighten your shoulders. Look at a woman with an intelligent, masculine expression. Widen your eyes, then narrow them and slowly lower your gaze to the level of your interlocutor’s bust. Then slowly and reluctantly lift your eyes up. Ask again: “Excuse me, what were we talking about?”, pretending that you listened or lost the thread of the conversation.

– Now inhale again, straighten your shoulders, stretch slightly and lower your gaze to the level of the lady’s lower limbs, again reluctantly raise your eyes up, simultaneously wiping saliva from your chin. And continue talking about whatever you want - about nature, about the weather, about politics, about growth growth...

The technique of this exercise is very simple. This is a model of charm. You don’t seem to be performing any actions, but you are influencing, and very strongly. You just look at the woman and at the same time periodically get confused in communication. Remember - women forgive men for their stupidity, but not for their lack of attention.

Erotic psychoprogramming

Impact on women

Gestures can be used to perform programming, including erotic psychoprogramming of the interlocutor. This technique is based on associative thinking.

First option: stroking any surface. This should be done quietly, with soft caressing movements.

Second option: soft rounded gestures imitating basic caressing movements. You talk about anything, but during the conversation you perform a series of similar soft caressing movements.

With her peripheral vision, a woman will certainly notice your movements - stroking a surface or rounded gestures - and unconsciously begin to transfer them to her body. After some time, the woman will begin to fall into an excited state, not understanding why this is happening. You only need to perform a similar technique once or twice, and when you appear the third time, no technique will be needed.

Remember the great and wise Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. The bell rings - the monkey was given a banana. The second bell - she received the second banana. The third bell rang - nothing was given, but the monkey was drooling because he was waiting for a banana. People react exactly like Pavlov's monkeys. And you, appearing for the third time, immediately evoke the reaction you need from the woman.

The story of crime boss Sergei Mansurov, to whom the investigator brought a revolver to his cell for interrogation, is very indicative. She could not help but know that she would be imprisoned for this. She just became a victim of this simplest erotic zombie.

The funny thing is that the female does not understand what you are doing! She begins to wind herself up based on the books she read, the films she watched, the stories she heard - and finds in you traits that you never had, endows you with qualities that you have never had.

A woman can also influence members of her own sex because ninety-eight percent of all women are bisexual, and only two percent lack this component, and two percent can be neglected. But only thirty percent are aware of their bisexuality, and sixty-eight live their entire lives without realizing it.

If the woman being manipulated is aware of her bisexual nature, she will admire the manipulative woman and say: “Oh, what a woman she is!” If she is not aware of her nature, she will admire the intelligence, intelligence or some other qualities of her interlocutor. But the main thing is that she will still admire you.

Impact on men

The male worldview is an order of magnitude more primitive than the female. And it’s even easier to influence men than women. This is done in four simple facial movements. Please note that the technique described below is performed exclusively by women and exclusively for men!

First phase– move your lower lip two to three millimeters forward. Return to starting position.

Second phase– move your upper lip two to three millimeters forward. Return to starting position.

Third phase– move both lips two to three millimeters forward. Return to starting position.

Fourth phase– run your tongue along the inner surface of your lips without opening them.

These four movements are quite enough. At the same time, when talking with a man, you need to periodically lower your gaze to the lower abdomen, and then slowly and reluctantly lift it up. In males, the plugs begin to burn out after about three minutes.

This is erotic psychoprogramming aimed at males. It is invisible, but it triggers associative thinking in men. The male begins to fall into an excited state, not understanding why this is happening. Since his attention is anchored on you, he begins to look for some properties in you, to endow you with some characteristics that you never had.

At first glance, the technique may seem primitive, but it works very effectively. Any woman can experiment and will certainly achieve success. However, after this she may be faced with another, more difficult task - how to get rid of this man.

According to a Harvard Business School study, 95% of purchasing decisions are determined by subconscious processes. Readers of the LPgenerator blog already know this fact - many articles recommend accessing the emotional, irrational, unconscious part of the brain.

Despite this, most marketing efforts still focus on creating logical connections with the rational minds of consumers. As a result, by ignoring the way the human brain works, they end up with a suboptimal user experience and low conversion rates.

So how to effectively interact with the subconscious? First, let's look at the nature of subconscious decision making, including the role of emotions and attention-getting mechanisms.

The subconscious: how good is it at making decisions?

The decision-making process is known to be subject to bias, which often causes people to make poor judgments. In some cases this may be true, but research by Alex Pouget found that what people often accept optimal decisions are such precisely because the choice was made by their subconscious.

So, trusting your intuition is the right thing to do! It is for this reason that visitors often refuse offers that are not credible (they are too good to be true).

“Free lip piercing” sounds too good to be true...

Research has also found that when our subconscious brain finds an opportunity to achieve a goal, it creates a positive emotion and then automatically triggers the decision to actively pursue the goal.

The opposite is true when our subconscious brain identifies something that we do not perceive as a way to achieve a goal. A negative emotion arises and we avoid the behavior associated with this outcome.

On the other hand, our consciousness is much more prone to comprehension and conservative in thinking. However, don't worry: it only gains control when we do mental calculations or think about a problem. The rational mind consumes a lot of energy, so it is easily depleted, which means it is unprofitable to use it.

That's why marketers must ruthlessly remove all unnecessary fluff from landing pages and create an intuitive design - a simple and easy-to-navigate design that does not overwhelm the user.

How to work with the subconscious?

It is extremely important to convey to the buyer that your brand meets implicit (or psychological) goals that activate their pleasure center. By doing this, we create an emotional response that leads to a quick decision. In the absence of strong emotions, a potential buyer most likely will not make a decision - at least not immediately.

So what psychological goals do people have? Many of these relate to the need to protect oneself from harm or to create strong social bonds. Our brains are hardwired to make decisions that increase our chances of survival. This is why we find on-screen animation distracting. We cannot stop looking at a moving object because our subconscious mind associates it with potential danger.

“Implicit motives determine which actions we perceive as rewarding and satisfying,” says Joachim Brunstein, professor of psychology at the University of Giessen. “Goals that are not consistent with implicit motives cannot provide a sense of reward or satisfaction.”

One of the benefits of identifying the Implicit Motivations of your visitors is that you can embed psychological goals into your value propositions and content, which in turn will improve your customer experience.

What are the main ulterior motives?

Marketing consultants at Beyond Reason have developed the first comprehensive model of hidden motivations, combining insights from a range of psychological and neuroscience research. The model has eight main implicit motives, each of which is then broken down into four distinct motivational categories. Eight Implicit Emotions:

• Confidence
• Individuality
• Belonging
• Recognition
• Physiology
• Sexuality
• Self-Development
• Power

Each of the thirty-two categories also has four expressions/manifestations to identify the detailed nature of each motivational category.

Confidence is the need for stable cause-and-effect relationships between things, consistency (stability, economic security, tranquility, virtue).
Belonging is the need to be part of a group, community, family, team, organization (connectedness with someone/something, cooperation, conformity, empathy).
Recognition is the need to be perceived by others as a valuable member of society, to feel appreciated and useful (attention, understanding of value, respect, significance).
Physiology - the need to be alive and in good shape (nutrition, physical safety, health, ecology).
Sexuality is the need to preserve the gene pool, a feeling of intimacy and pleasure from sexual intercourse (reproduction, parent-child bonds, intimacy, physical attraction).
Self-development is the need to improve and develop oneself, move forward and become a better version of oneself (understanding, altruism, critical autonomy, purpose).
Power - the need to have power, influence others and be able to persuade (power, hierarchy, competitiveness, prestige).
Individuality - the need to exist and act as an independent person (non-conformism, control, autonomy, egocentrism)

This detailed model avoids the ambiguity that plagues many traditional behavioral models. She gives clear feedback on how to create messages that engage the subconscious.

1. Confidence

Nobody likes chaos and uncertainty (and most of the Internet space suffers from it), so a brand that stands for stability, security, guarantees, confidence and justice will definitely find fans among most people. Companies that communicate the longevity and stability of their business have an advantage over unknown sites that are not trustworthy.

British retailer Marks & Spencer effectively communicates its history and traditions by prominently displaying its founding date (EST 1884) immediately below its logo. This is a subtle but effective way to demonstrate that the brand is associated with reliability and confidence.

The Co-operative Bank demonstrates its business ethics to be consistent with its commitment to goodness. Treating people fairly according to moral standards is an important ulterior motive for sectors such as banking and investment management. People like to feel that their actions will not harm others, this awareness gives rise to a positive emotional response in us.

We say “No!” to irresponsible gambling, payday loans, tax evasion. The evolution of our ethical policies. Our ethical approach has evolved over 20 years and reflects the changing moral views of our clients, giving us a unique understanding of their principles over time.

2. Affiliation

Humans are extremely social animals. We love being part of a group, community or team. These hidden motivations include the need for connection (attachment), cooperation, conformity, and empathy.

The UK's largest retailer, Tesco, has demonstrated its commitment to empathy and compassion for people less fortunate than us by creating the Community Food Connection. Its mission is to deliver free surplus food from stores to local charities.

The community advocates for food conservation and helps charities, for example, by sending them food that is nearing its expiration date

Another great example of using this trigger can be seen on the MyBlogU resource. Its purpose is to facilitate collaboration through forums, as well as collect feedback from other participants. Collaboration is important for humans because it helps us realize our goals through the group structure. We all want to be part of a group because it gives us a sense of security that members of the community protect and support each other.

Lifehack.org uses the desire to conform to established norms of behavior to convince users to sign up for its newsletter. Visitors are encouraged to make a small commitment by asking them if they agree with a certain statement (“it’s never too late to start again”). Those who agree then see a second pop-up window asking for their email address. Users feel forced to subscribe due to the consistency effect (commitment), one of .

The first pop-up on Lifehack.org encourages a commitment: “It’s never too late to start again. If you weren't happy yesterday, try something new today. Don't get stuck in one place. Get better." Next, the user can click “I agree” or “I disagree.” In the first case, he sees a window where it is written: “And we think so!” Join the Lifehack mailing list and we'll inspire you to strive for a happier life."

3. Recognition

People love to be seen as valuable members of society. This motivation involves being noticed by others and feeling respected.

The Quora resource allows communities of users to edit and organize answers from project participants. The site also employs a number of implicit incentives to encourage active user participation. Users feel noticed by displaying the number of views on the site, and they also have the opportunity to express appreciation or dissatisfaction by voting for the worst and best answers. The notifications tab allows you to track how user contributions to the community are being received.

Much the same trigger affects the behavior of users of the Reddit service - the constant desire to improve the so-called Reddit karma.

Why are you trying to score in a video game? Why is your favorite sports team trying to win a championship? To look at things from a less competitive and more altruistic point of view, read what philosophers have said about this: Don't set out to accumulate karma, just set out to be a good person, and let your karma be a reminder of your legacy. Note: Reddit makes no guarantees regarding achieving Nirvana...

Amazon positions itself as a brand dedicated to paying attention to and listening to customers. After each purchase, an email is sent to the consumer inviting them to rate the service received. In addition to making customers feel like their opinions are important, this move also provides Amazon with reviews that then serve as excellent Social Proof.

4. Individuality

Individuality is independence of thought and the ability to act of one's own free will. Individuality is also defined as originality, the ability to be the master of one's own destiny, having freedom and focusing on one's needs.

Airbnb has significantly increased its influence in the hospitality and tourism sector in recent years. The average length of stay in an Airbnb apartment is 2.5 times longer than the average hotel. This all comes about because Airbnb appeals to the non-conformist traveler who wants to experience the real essence of the city or area they are visiting. To capitalize on this implicit goal, Airbnb began offering special services to suit this lifestyle. Below you can see the “Maverick Biker”, a package designed for the adventurous tourist who wants to explore Cuba by bike.

Maverick Biker. Do something original and explore Havana with an inquisitive cyclist. The trip was organized by Yasser. 3 events in 2 days, 9 hours in total, 2 lunches, drinks and necessary equipment, communication takes place in English

One way to appeal to self-centeredness is to let customers customize your product themselves. For example, the shoe company Converse allows you to design your own sneakers and print your name on them.

5. Strength

The desire for influence and persuasive power is associated with power, hierarchy, competition and prestige.

Online gaming sites use force and the desire for power to motivate users to play. A range of strategies are used, including competition with other players and leadership boards. Zynga, for example, allows users to compete with friends on Facebook and uses levels to communicate players' progress and level.

Virgin Atlantic is using prestige to promote VIP services and airport lounges, likening its Clubhouses membership to private clubs for a select few. This creates an impression of exclusivity as well as power and influence.

Our Clubhouses - nothing compares to them. Take a look at our Clubhouse and you will feel like you are in another world. There is no noise, no queues, just great taste of wonderful food, fantastic surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere. Our Clubhouses are similar to private closed clubs, and the service in them is appropriate

6. Self-development

This motivation is related to self-improvement and includes understanding the world around us, altruism, critical thinking and goal setting.

The Farnam Street blog is a great example of a site that helps people expand their knowledge and improve the way they think about things. These benefits are delivered directly. However, the site also targets our subconscious desire for a more meaningful and purposeful existence, which is one of the most powerful human motivations.

The main goal of the site is stated in plain text - to expand the knowledge of visitors and improve the process of understanding things. The choice of content (in this example, an article about the power of subconscious thinking) corresponds to the second, deeper task

7. Sexuality

Of course, sex is one of the main motivators of a person. It helps ensure the continuation of our species. But this topic also touches on issues such as lust, intimacy, and connections between parents and children.

Parents always want to strengthen their relationship with their offspring. To effectively use this nuance, brands should turn not to words, but to images. Thus, the streaming service Netflix conveys the meaning of the bond between parents and children through a powerful image that does not require words:

Find out what's next. Watch from anywhere. Cancel your subscription at any time

The home page of the IKEA website is also a good example of demonstrating the parent-child relationship. The headline and image largely correspond to the perception of shopping at IKEA in terms of such connections. It also emphasizes the social significance of cooperation, since it is clear that family members enjoy the process of cooking together:

When we cook together, we do more than just eat.

8. Physiology

In addition to the basic need for adequate nutrition, physiology also includes the need to prevent injury, encourage behaviors aimed at maintaining good health, and the desire to live in an unpolluted environment.

Zombies Run also uses social proof to promote healthier and more active lifestyles. Users create their own story when they go out for a run or walk: during the exercise, they have to speed up to escape from zombies. This encourages people to exercise more often and also to lengthen their exercise time.

How does this work. You go for a walk, a light jog or a full running workout. Hear your mission, as well as music tracks, in your headphones. When zombies start chasing you, you need to speed up! You will automatically collect devices to increase the base of capabilities in the game

How to measure the influence of ulterior motives?

Because implicit motives operate at a subconscious level, traditional surveys and direct questioning of respondents will not accurately measure their influence. Instead, companies working in this field use other research methods, such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The IAT measures the speed at which people can sort words or images into categories whenever they are presented with a stimulus (such as a brand logo or product). This test is also used to determine racial or gender bias.

Implicit association test. Example timeline of tasks in Gender IAT and Race IAT. Stimulus categories (gender, race, characteristics) on the same side of the screen (left or right) are associated with the corresponding response. Stimuli are names of men or women (in the case of gender IAT) or typically “black” or “white” male names (racial IAT), alternating with “pleasant” or “unpleasant” association words

When people are given a word or an image, the associations they create are much more detectable than feelings. This means that the IAT can measure emotional attitudes towards brands, products and services that cannot be detected through direct questioning. One of the advantages of IATs is that they are scalable and relatively inexpensive because they only require a special program to run the test.

How can marketers apply this knowledge?

When making a decision, our brain analyzes the difference between “pain” (the cost) and “reward” (the potential achievement of goals). When the difference is large and positive, we will be ready to buy the product. The net value of a product can be changed by increasing the expected reward (that is, increasing the number of benefits or performance of the product) and/or reducing the pain (lowering the price or making the purchase process easier).

This means marketers must focus on making the decision-making process easier. This can be done in a variety of ways, but it starts with understanding your users' ulterior motives. Do they strive for power, self-development, individuality? Are you creating references to these feelings in your copy, value proposition, design?

Storytelling. Dad: “The brand was new, but it had been improved by marketers, and it had 50% more hits than the leading brand in the industry. Consumers lived happily ever after. End". Children: “Boring! Where’s mom?”

Also, see if you are creating dissonance with your message? If you don't align it with consumer expectations, you're creating a disconnect in the first place (not helping your conversion rate).

Your task is to create messages that work for a fast and intuitive brain. If you do not provide this, then users will switch to rational thinking, which is often less profitable for them and less effective in the sales process.

This does not mean that the rational side should be completely abandoned. Products satisfy rational needs, and brands help us cope with emerging psychological motives. But it all starts with understanding users.

Conclusion

Please note: preferences and loyalty are very much dependent on our subconscious, however, it is important to maintain a rational motive for purchasing. So to summarize what you need to do:

• Ensure that rational benefits are aligned with the client's implicit goals.
• Simplify the user's decision-making process to maintain attention and increase satisfaction and loyalty.
• Conduct extensive user research to uncover motivations and intent.
• Try implicit association tests instead of directly asking users about their motivations.
• Keep exploring and experimenting. Like , the field is a constantly evolving model, and your insight into it improves with time and new insights.
• Use implicit motivations to form the basis of hypotheses that help you test more successfully.

A complex technique that is used by many scammers to gain profit is the manipulation of people. Human psychology is such that it can be controlled. Even during business negotiations, the parties try to put pressure on each other, promoting their point of view. And to protect yourself from outside influence, you need to familiarize yourself with different methods of manipulation.

It is most often hidden. It is more difficult to suppress the will openly. This requires a person who is easily affected. And there are very few of them. In this regard, hidden manipulation of people is used.

The multifaceted art of management

Psychology is a multifaceted science. And the art of manipulation is direct proof of this. There are a huge number of methods by which you can learn to control a person. But there is no such manipulator who would use all methods. Usually they choose several methods that are most suitable. Why is manipulating people so popular? Human psychology is like this. And with the help of the art of management, you can not only influence the actions of your interlocutor, but also achieve your goal.

You need to feel people's mood

One should not think that everyone is subject to control. In fact, there are people who are difficult to hypnotize. Accordingly, they also cannot be manipulated. Attackers try to avoid such people. How do they know who to avoid and who to control? Manipulation of people, psychology - to be a professional in these areas, you need to have a good sense of the mood of your interlocutor. Otherwise, all skills and abilities will be reduced to zero.

Usually manipulators find a weak point. This could be an interest, a belief, a habit, a way of thinking, an emotional state, etc. The main thing is to find where to put pressure and know how to do it. In what way can people be manipulated? Psychology, books - all this will help us understand popular management methods.

Winning a prize

Win-pay. This type of management can be considered the most favorite among scammers who are trying to ingratiate themselves into people’s trust. They tell their interlocutor that he has won a prize or reward. Naturally, if you put in the effort, then this may be true. But if there was no contribution on your part, but you somehow won the award, then you should think about the veracity of the situation.

Focusing on the little things. Manipulation described in the book

Shift of attention. This method was described in the books of a psychologist. He is known as the creator of Ericksonian hypnosis. What features can be identified that are characteristic of this technique of manipulating people? Human psychology is such that his attention can switch to a variety of little things. And it is on this switching that control is built. You just need to distract your interlocutor from an important point. For example, the manipulator may offer to make a choice in favor of one of three options. But regardless of your choice, he will always win, not you. The point is not that everything depends on the decision. The main idea is the need to gain trust and distraction.

When information is not true

Inconsistency of information. To recognize inappropriate data transmitted through a variety of channels, you need to become familiar with the basics of nonverbal communication. This is the only way to see that the manipulator’s speech is at odds with the rest of the information conveyed by his gestures.

No extra time

What is this kind of psychology of manipulation? Pressure on a person and opposition on his part presupposes the use of a certain time frame. For example, you can start a discussion with your interlocutor about an important topic. However, he, speaking of other plans, begins to get ready to leave. And at the same time, it may require an immediate decision on your part on the issue that was discussed. With this method they try to drive you into a corner.

Three psychological tricks will help you with this. They will be described further.

The emergence of a sense of duty

Care and love. Almost all methods fundamentally contain rules of mutual exchange. A fairly common concept in psychology. Its essence lies in the need to evoke a sense of duty in the interlocutor. And this happens on an unconscious level. For example, the husband washed all the dishes, cleaned the rooms, and wiped the dust himself. He sent his wife to rest. And after all the work was done, he casually said that tomorrow he was going to have a drink with his friends. Well, how can you refuse him in such a situation? This case is simple and real - the husband formed a sense of duty in his wife. Accordingly, the likelihood of hearing a positive response from her has increased markedly.

How to deal with manipulation? Reviews from people

If you want to know (including the subtleties of psychology), then you need to understand how to resist manipulation. In this situation, remember that no one will show concern without a reason. Mindfulness will help you avoid exposure. In addition, there is no need to accumulate a sense of duty. Know how to say no. The above method of manipulation is quite effective. And he meets you at every step.

Zombification

Repetition is the mother of learning. This is the basis of zombification. For example, every day on TV you are shown advertisements for delicious condiments. Wandering around the store, you won’t even notice how you buy them. Why? This is due to the fact that you have already viewed the advertisement several thousand times. It is firmly entrenched in the subconscious. This technique is often used to manipulate people. No wonder there is a proverb that states that a person will begin to grunt if he is called a pig a hundred times. This management technique is common in relations between superiors and subordinates with low self-esteem.

How to resist this method of control? Be careful. Repetition can be associated with care, and then a powerful weapon of control will be obtained. You will automatically become a good investor for a bad person. Only attentiveness will save you from such a fate.

Seducing your interlocutor is an excellent manipulation technique

The forbidden fruit is sweet. You should not give in to temptations and desires, even though it is difficult. You must have willpower. Do you want to learn how to manipulate? Use this method. Analyze your life. How often have you said the phrase “Don’t tempt...”, “Weak...?”, “Isn’t that a man?” Or maybe they told you this?

For example, promotions and discounts. They can be found especially often on the Internet when they are accompanied by countdown timers. This is pure temptation, control. It will not allow you to pass by such sites. Use this method to your advantage.

Such exposure can be avoided. Just understand its nature, understand how it works. Having a strong character and unwavering principles can also help. Only in such a situation no one can seduce you.

There can be many control methods

There are many different ways of manipulation. You need to be able to defend yourself against this. First of all, it is important to listen to yourself. After all, manipulation presupposes influence, control of someone else's will. If you begin to feel discomfort or are inclined to make a decision right now, then you need to leave the conversation. Say no and stand by your principles. There is no need to succumb to provocations. After all, you are simply being manipulated.

Start making your own decisions

This review described how to manipulate people (subtleties of psychology). How to avoid falling for such tricks? Pay attention to this, because you can be constantly controlled in all areas of your life. Start making your own decisions, not those that have been imposed on you. This is the psychology of manipulation and pressure on a person, the counteraction to which we discussed above.