The easiest way, perhaps, for you to get a basic understanding of psychology will be to take a course in the subject. These may be available for an affordable cost at a local community college or community center. Engage in daily psychological study by noting patterns you see in the behavior of those around you. You can collect these observations in a notebook for personal reference. This will also sharpen your observational abilities.
A newly emerging study of human truthfulness, sometimes referred to as lie-spotting, might also help you “read” the mind of someone. All you need to do is catch that person in a lie, point it out, and when he asks, “How did you know?” simply reply, “I can read your mind. “[3] X Research source
Put people at ease while reading their mind by mirroring their motions. You don’t have to do exactly the same things they are, but by reusing the gestures of the person you are trying to mind-read, you’ll make them feel like they can trust you. You might also want to use similar words and expressions to gain a person’s trust while mind-reading. If the person you are trying to read is timid, start off talking to them in a timid way. If the person is bold and brash, joke around and be more daring. [5] X Research source
By logically connecting and making sense of generally true statements about people with regard to specific observations about your subject, you improve your odds of making a correct prediction. These predictions, in turn, will make it seem like you can read minds. [6] X Research source
Micro-expressions happen very quickly. Even if you know what you’re looking for, they can be difficult to spot. You may want to begin by finding YouTube videos online that show these expressions in slow motion to help develop your ability to see these emotions when attempting to “read” minds.
You may want to start off by telling your subject, “First let me ask you a few simple questions so I can harmonize my mind with yours to get a better reading. " This way, you can acclimate yourself to your subject’s body language while narrowing down what you know about him or her. To give yourself a little wiggle room, you may want to tell people watching that, “Reading minds is very difficult. Sometimes I pick up information from other people and get information wrong. But I assure you if you are patient, I will prove to you I can read your mind. " As an example, you might notice your subject is disheveled, but otherwise well groomed, you might say, “Today’s been a rough day for you. Or has it been a rough week? I sense that you’ve been struggling in your personal life lately. Is this true?” The micro-expressions responding to these questions and statements will help you determine whether you’ve predicted correctly. You might also tell a story or make several rapid fire statements and read micro-expressions that occur as you tell it to your subject. Try to keep it as broad as possible. Use topics like work, girlfriends, boyfriends, animals, exercise, family, and so on. [8] X Research source
Things that disgust your subject are generally things he will avoid. For example, if you notice the disgust micro-expression when you mention a child or baby while talking to your subject, you could be reasonably safe in the assumption, “You’ve never wanted to have children. "
Anger in your mind-reading subject can ruin your performance, even if all your predictions are correct. An angry subject is one that might decide to deny your correct predictions out of spite. You may want to take steps to calm your subject to prevent a hot temper from ruining your fake mind-reading. To do this, you might say, “I try to respect people’s boundaries when I’m mind-reading; if I’ve overstepped those bounds, you have my apologies. Shall we change the topic?"[9] X Research source [10] X Research source
Your situation will dictate how you respond, but in many cases, if you see the fear micro-expression you should change the topic or your approach. Fear can make your subject more guarded, which will make it harder for you to glean information from him. In some cases, fear may mean you have guessed an intimate or personal detail. If you don’t want to embarrass your subject in front of other onlookers, you may want to shift your predictions to new topics. [11] X Research source
Sadness can sometimes point to recent loss. Some people may be less receptive to you “reading” their mind about this kind of thing. You’ll have to use your best judgement for each situation. [12] X Research source [13] X Research source
This micro-expression can be a sign that you’re on the right track in your deductions. When you see the happiness micro-expression in your subject, you may want to apply your more in depth deductive reasoning to the topic. People who are happy will also be more willing to cooperate with you. Cooperation is important for your pretend mind-reading. For you to make correct predictions, you need your subject to unwittingly provide you with information.
Contempt can be a kind of self-excluding emotion, which can make it difficult for you draw information out of your subject. When you see contempt in the face of someone you’re plying your mind-reading tricks, you should take measures to make that person feel included. [16] X Research source
Surprise can indicate that you’ve struck upon something meaningful to the subject of your mind-reading. When you notice surprise in response to one of your broad statements or during your conversation with the subject, you may want to delve deeper into that topic. [17] X Research source
You may want to avoid choosing individuals who are overeager to volunteer to have their mind read. These people are often more interested in being the center of attention, and will likely be less interested in interacting with you and more interested in 15 minutes of fame. Individuals who are a little reserved but respond favorably to your humor and conversation should be prioritized. These people are, in most cases, focused on you and what you are saying, making them ideal for cold reading and micro-expression reading. [18] X Research source
For example, you might learn beforehand a crowd you’ll be mind-reading comes from a rural area. So when you pull a person at random out of a crowd, note his slightly dirty cowboy boots and Chevy truck key fob, and then proclaim he’s a farmer (or does a job related to agriculture), everyone will think you really can read minds. If your research reveals a large portion of the community you’re mind-reading participates in religion, you might say, “I’m sensing you’ve been influenced heavily by religion in your life. “[19] X Research source
Another trick you might use to read someone’s muscular response to the what you say is by holding your subject’s hand. You might explain this need for contact by saying something like, “A physical connection improves the psychic link. "
When you make a mistake, you might claim there was “psychic interference. " You could also claim that you were picking up a psychic signal from someone close by. You may have to fail many times before you develop a knack for reading the appearance and responses of your subject well enough to appear to be mind-reading. As you train your abilities, you’ll become better able to read the signs.
