This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta.

As we go through life, other people often hold the keys to our success and happiness.

In school, how your teachers think of you makes a difference in how they evaluate you.

Do they see you as a serious scholar or a disinterested student? As you grow older, you might try to impress some student.

As you grow older, you might try to impress someone whom you see as a potential romantic partner.

You want this person to like you, to date you.

In the workplace, we jockey for status and opportunities. We might ask a boss for a raise or a promotion.

How you come across to her will influence whether she says yes to you or tells you to take a hike.

Countless books and Reddit threads tell you how to navigate these waters.

A YouTube influencer might tell you to play nice.

A Tik-Tok star might recommend playing hardball.

Much of the advice you get will be contradicted by other advice you get.

In recent years, social scientists have started to study how we can more effectively influence how others think of us.

They've discovered both pitfalls and opportunities in the way we go about trying to

influence the opinions of people. Unlike a lot of what you hear on YouTube and Tik-Tock,

these researchers are not just sharing their personal opinions,

their conclusions are guided by experimental evidence.

The science of how to win friends and influence people

this week on Hidden Brain. Let's say you have a job interview. How do you carry yourself? You might wear a nice outfit,

walk into the room with your shoulders back, and offer a firm handshake.

Or imagine you run into a neighbor. You smoke. and offer a firm handshake.

Or imagine you run into a neighbor.

...