Social Engineering is the practical application of sociological principles to particular social problems. Interestingly, humans and animals are more predictable than you think and easily fall into fixed action patterns when given the right mechanical stimulus. For example, turkeys only rely on listening to their young by the sound they make (Cheap! Cheap!) and upon hearing this, it prompts them to love and protect their young. However, let's say a fox comes near the turkey but imitates the (Cheap! Cheap!) of their young, despite the turkey recognizing it physically as a fox, that turkey's response is to instantly love and protect that fox.
You're probably thinking, that won't happen to us because animals are dumb and we humans are reasonable and a more intelligent species. A study was done in Harvard where they've sent a group of people to make copies at a xerox machine and also sent an undercover to try to cut in line. Apparently, when this undercover person told them "I need to use the xerox machine because I have five pages", 40% of the time people told her to piss off. However, when this undercover person changed their story to "I need to use the xerox machine because I am in a rush", it resulted in a 94% success rate with people agreeing that they go first because they were in a hurry and instantly assumed it was a legitimate reason.
In social engineering, there are three psychological backdoors that you can use to get a better position in social dealings.
The first psychological backdoor is "Liking".
Liking pretty much means if a particular person likes you, you are more likely to get a lot of favors from that person. A person will like you more if you are charming, attractive, and smart. For example, if you are your uncle's favorite nephew, then you are more likely to get more gifts from him during Christmas than the rest. If a particular seller likes you, they will most likely give you better deals and discounts than the others. If your boss likes you, I think you are more likely to get that next promotion everyone's been dreaming about. Although Liking pretty much relies on looks initially, charm and being smart are both skills that can be practiced daily and eventually mastered.
The second psychological backdoor is "Reciprocation".
Reciprocation is the idea that we hate feeling indebted to somebody else so we obsess about returning the favor. By doing something for someone initially, you can get a favor back when you need them to do something for you at a later time. For example, buying your friend a drink now and selling them some homemade cookies, later on, will make them buy those cookies. Covering your friend's absence at work will make them cover your absence later on. Giving a business partner a gift or a present as a gesture of goodwill can make them cherish you, therefore giving you a better deal in your partnership. By initially offering something, people tend to return the favor 80% of the time.
The third psychological backdoor is "Authority"
This is the most powerful backdoor that people can use to gain favors and the most abused technique conmen use to commit fraud. Using authority makes people instantly think you are a priority therefore are inclined to doing more for you than others. Frank Abagnale, dressed up as a pilot and flew 250 flights to 26 countries in a span of two years. A businessman with a suit is more likely to get served better in a restaurant than a guy in a hoodie. A government official is more likely to get better treatment in a hospital than a regular person. People with authority tend to appear more legitimate than others therefore get fewer questions on their agendas.
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