The New Year gives us all an opportunity to live life in a new way. For example, many of us get stressed dealing with people. Luckily, there are tons of simple yet creative life tips, which show you how to handle life like a champ! To help you win in 2016, we’ve rounded up 16 psychological life hacks that are used by successful people everywhere.

1. Get answers

When getting an incomplete or evasive answer from someone after you’ve asked them a question, hold eye contact and wait without speaking. Most people will feel compelled to keep talking.

2. Calm your nerves

Nervous right before giving a speech? Chewing gum can help to calm you down by triggering a chain or responses that affects your “fight or flight” instinct.

3. Ask the right questions

To keep conversations sailing along, learn the difference between closed-ended questions, which only give a short answer like “yes” or “no”, and open-ended questions, which give a person the chance to talk more. Stick to open-ended ones. For example, compare “Are you from around here?” to “Where are you from?”

4. Mind your posture

Similarly, learn the difference between open and closed body posture. Closed posture, like crossed arms, can influence others’ opinion and make you seem difficult to interact with.

5. Pump yourself up

Use this open body posture to pump yourself up before stressful events. Check out how power posing can effect your actions and confidence in this awesome Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy.

6. Calm rude customers

If you work in customer service, put a large mirror behind you so that your customers can see themselves. No one wants to see themselves being a jerk.

7. Make a good first impression

If you have trouble maintaining eye contact with people that you’ve just met, make a mental note of their eye color while shaking hands (and smiling, of course). That extra 1 or 2 seconds of eye contact can make a world of difference.

8. Don’t bump into people

Avoid the awkward sidewalk shuffle by gazing in the direction that you intend to walk. Most people will move out of your path.

9. Read feet

Not sure if you’re welcomed in a conversation? Glance at the others’ feet. If their feet are pointed at you, you’re welcome to join in. If their feet are turned away (even if their torso is towards you), they might not want to let you join the group.

10. Smile

If you’re feeling down, crack a huge smile. More often than not it’ll improve your mood.

11. Trick your brain

Approach stressful situations as a challenge rather than as a threat. The physical effects of stress are similar to the effects of courage, so by using a little cognitive reframing, you can trick yourself into thinking you’re entering a challenging situation instead of a stressful one.

12. Avoid phrases that express low confidence

In order to convey confidence, avoid phrases like “I think” and “I believe”.

13. Be memorable

When scheduling an interview, try to get the first time slot of the day. Research on the primacy effect suggests that those that go first will be more memorable. Likewise, going last will also give you an edge.

14. Get quick decisions

When dealing with difficult children (and adults, for that matter), give them a choice between two options rather than an open-ended choice. For example, “Do you want soup or a sandwich for lunch?” rather than “What do you want for lunch?”

15. Discover someone’s feelings

Do you like someone and aren’t sure if they also like you? People in casual group settings often glance at the person they like most when laughing after a joke.

16. Make people feel happy to see you

Act really happy and excited to see other people and they will react the same to you. It doesn’t always happen the first time, but it will definitely happen next time.

16 great life hacks, that we hope will give you that extra bit of oomph when you need it most! But what do you think? Have you tried any of these tips, and did they work for you?

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