Human Psychology

   I just want to tap into Human Psychology. If you ask me what recession proof job is for next generation I would say three career options – Priests, Entertainment business and Psychologists. The way world is shaping up I have 100% confidence these three careers will be safe bet. Rise of temples, priests, Poojas; Gigantic rise of standup comedies like Evam standup Tamasha; Steady rise of Physiatrists, Counselors in every place are just standing examples to reiterate my above statement. Okay now coming to Human Psychology it is very interesting aspect and want to pen five little aspects which I have come across in my day to day life

[1] Keeping watch faster than actual time: Almost all of us do this…we tend to keep our watches 5 or 10 minutes faster than actual time. Now the million-dollar question? Is it going to make any difference to do that knowing you have kept 10 minutes faster? Looks like human mind is prone to be more effective once it sees time nearing deadline. So when actual time is 7.50 am and you have kept as 8 am it is going to drive you to be more agile and effective and mind may not interpret about factual information. But for lazy gooses no matter you change AM to PM it won’t make any difference.

[2] 999 INR versus 1000 INR: It is so funny when the price tag quotes 999 rupees only and not 1000 as if one rupee is going to fetch you an apartment in R.A Puram, Chennai; But this practice is an age old phenomenon and the very act of making the customer say “Nine hundred and” versus “One thousand” makes a psychological difference amongst buyers since it sounds cheaper. This is like a team scoring 299 in 50 overs versus making 300 where commentators end up saying psychologically it is a positive thing to touch 300 score.

[3] Success and its perspective: I watched movie “Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya” on the day it got released and liked the movie but many felt other way round and once the movie was declared success the very same people said movie was good. I just think the success of the movie had an influence in their thought process. Same thing happened for me with ‘Kaaka Kaaka’ which I watched way back in 2003 and completely did not like the movie but once it was declared blockbuster and me watching the movie second time I had a different taste altogether. So human mind gets influenced sub consciously based on history.

[4] Mind and Occurrence: When you see something that is out of ordinary then automatically message goes to brain prompting us to take a picture. Take for example, you spot Mr.Obama on the roadside and it is very natural for you to take a picture alongside him. Now let us say you spot Mr.Obama almost daily would you still take a picture? It is the same person but you may not be prompted to take one since human mind may not value it the same way like the first occurrence. All I can think of is when I used to trip India for my 3 weeks vacation and end up eating in Plantain leaves I used to give my phone and have a stranger take a pic of me since it used to be a rare occurrence but nowadays I don’t even carry my phone when I am in pandhi. On a different note nowadays if I end up having a sandwich then I do want to take a picture.

[5] Message and not the messenger: People like Rajinikanth or Sachin have attained heights of success, name, fame etc., but still appreciation is something they love to have. Rajinikanth has habit of disguising in public and visits theatres in Chennai to enjoy his own movies amongst fans since claps, whistle is something that keeps him going. Similarly Sachin requested BCCI to shift venue of his final international match to Mumbai as he wants to sign off from his home ground and enjoy the love, appreciation from his fans. But when it comes to criticism nobody wants to take it or people atleast do not have the mindset to take it. I would point out because they focus on the messenger and not the message. When someone is criticizing if people look into the message that would take it to the next point of discussion but if people focus purely on messenger then it just creates enmity. Once again I feel it is the mindset in how people handle criticism and work towards betterment of their own self.