11 incredible psychological tricks to get people to do what you want By Shana Lebowitz | Business Insider – Tue 11 Aug, 201 5 (Star Wars / Lucasfilm) Pull your own Jedi mind trick. You don’t need to be the CEO to get people to listen to you. Psychological research suggests there are plenty of ways to get people to do what you want — without them even realizing you’ve persuaded them. We’ve rounded up 11 science-backed strategies for getting people to like you, to buy stuff, and to give you what you’re after. All of them will leave you feeling more powerful. 1. Use a “decoy” option to get people to buy your product. In his TED Talk, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explains the “decoy effect” using an old Economist advertisement as an example. The ad featured three subscription levels: $59 for online only, $159 for print only, and $159 for online and print. Ariely figured out that ...