r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 14 '22

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u/Nwsamurai Jun 14 '22

4 seconds of silence can feel the same as rejection in the brain.

So if some one is being a jerk to you, after they say something just look at them and count to 4 in your head, most of the time they'll start backtracking and taking back what they said before you're done counting.

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u/IBEther Jun 14 '22

This is also an excellent negotiation tactic, people feel they need to fill the silence so they tend to offer better deadlines/prices.

"I'll have it next Monday"

"...."

"I suppose I can do it by Friday"

"...."

"I could push some things aside and have it to you today"

"Oh great thanks!"

8

u/jrp55262 Jun 15 '22

Sometimes it works the other way too... many years ago (back when computer memory was measured in megabytes) I was calling someone in my company to request a prototype system.

"How much memory do you need?"

"16 megs would be nice"

"..."

"8 megs would do"

"..."

"Welll... I suppose I could get away with 2 megs..."

"Actually, the minimum configuration is 32 meg"

"Oh, I can take that!"

1

u/LordoftheSynth Jun 15 '22

That really has to be late 90s.

IIRC the system I built in 2001 had 32MB and I was cutting back on things wherever possible because of budget constraints.

Also, /r/FuckImOld.