When a group of people laugh, people will intrinsically look towards the group members they feel closest to.
Observe peoples’ feet when they’re talking to you. If they are pointed away from you then that person doesn’t want to speak to you (or they want the conversation to end).
If you’re in a group meeting and expect someone to take you to task, sit right next to them. They’ll lose the pack mentality that makes them feel safe to attack you. Bare minimum, they’ll minimize their aggression towards you.
If you work in customer service, put a mirror behind you. Customers will be nicer because nobody wants to see themselves acting like an asshole.
Most people can’t tell the difference between brilliance and confidence. If you seem like you know what you’re doing, people tend to buy into that and rally around you.
While on a busy sidewalk, look at where you’re going instead of at the people in your path. If they see your eye-line, they’ll likely move out of your path.
People are more likely to agree to do something for you if you get them to do something simpler for you first. People are also more likely to agree to a small favor if they deny a larger one first.
Chew gum or eat food if you’re doing something that would normally make you nervous. It tricks a primal part of your brain into thinking you couldn’t be in danger because you’re eating.
If you make yourself excited to see other people, the next time they see you, they’ll likely be a lot happier to see you.
Don’t say or write “I think” or “I believe”. It’s already implied and it makes you sound unconfident or weak.
If you ask someone a question and they only give you a partial answer, maintain eye contact and stay silent. The answerer will usually assume the original answer wasn’t good enough and they’ll keep talking.
Emotional expressions are one way to cause emotions. If you want to feel happy, smile as big as you can, and often.
If somebody is angry with you, stay calm. They’ll probably get angrier but they’ll be ashamed of themselves later, and they might even apologize.
Many physical effects of stress are the same as those of exhilaration. If you reframe your threatening situation as a challenging one, your stress will turn into exhilaration.
My Pursuit of Thought 