The Digest guide to ... influencing people

10 years of the Research Digest Time your boasts. No one likes a show-off. But to get ahead in this world, you're going to need to let at least some people know your successes. A 2010 study found that the key to bragging without looking like a big-head is to make sure you make your self-aggrandising claims in context. If the other person raises the topic (exam results, let's say), it's safe to go ahead and make your brag, even if you weren't asked directly about your performance. In contrast, if you're the one to raise the topic, it's vital before boasting that you provoke a specific question about how you performed. Avoid name-dropping. It's incredibly tempting to piggy back on your successful friends or relatives by letting other people know about your close association to them. But the findings of a 2008 study suggest you should avoid the temptation. Participants rated a student who introduced himself as a friend of Roger Federer as less likeable and less competent, an effect that was due to the name drop being seen as manipulative. Put your phone away. It's a business lunch. You take your seat and almost without thinking remove your phone from your back pocket and place it on the table. Don't. Put it away. A study published last year found that the mere presence of a nearby phone had an adverse effect on the chemistry between people, interfering with their feelings of social intimacy - bad news if you're hoping to broker a deal or win over a new client. The resear...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Source Type: blogs