Chapter 1 - Hacking People's Minds

1.1 Emotional Grenades: Pull the Pin and Watch the Explosion

People are like puppets—give them a little tug on their emotional strings, and they’ll dance for you. The three emotions that really get people talking? Rage, fear, and shock. And the best part? It doesn’t even have to be true.

1.1.1 Rage-Baiting – Anger Equals Attention

Nothing gets people tapping away on their keyboards like a good dose of anger. Piss them off, and you’ve won. Go after something that everyone’s sensitive about—politics, identity, money. Hit a nerve and sit back while they fight in the comments. Don’t waste time on facts; opinions are all you need.

Example: Post a picture of a controversial protest with the caption, “This is why our country’s going downhill!” Watch people pick sides, argue, and share it just to say how much they hate it.

1.1.2 Fear-Mongering – Make Them Scared, Make Them Share

Humans are hardwired to react to fear. All you need is a headline that screams danger, and they’ll spread your content like wildfire, trying to warn everyone they know.

Example: Tweet, “The government is about to ban this life saving product! Stock up now before it’s too late.” Throw in a fake news link, an affiliate link to the product, and the panic does the rest.

1.1.3 Shock Value – Make Them Gasp

Nothing grabs attention like something totally unexpected. People love sharing things just to say, “Look at this crazy sh*t!” The more outrageous, the better.

Example: A bizarre video of someone doing something borderline illegal or disgusting. Bonus points if it’s just unbelievable enough that people have to share it to ask, “Is this even real?”

1.2 Mind Tricks: Play With Their Cognitive Biases

If you think people are smart enough to resist manipulation, you’re overestimating them. Humans rely on shortcuts—biases that save them from thinking too hard. Exploit those, and you’ll get them eating out of your hand.

1.2.1 Confirmation Bias – Tell Them What They Want to Hear

People love to hear their own beliefs confirmed. They’ll like, share, and spread anything that supports their worldview, even if it’s total garbage. Feed that bias, and they’ll reward you.

Example: Create a post saying, “Here’s proof that [controversial figure] is a criminal!” The haters will push it everywhere. No one’s going to fact-check you.

1.2.2 Negativity Bias – Bad News Sells

People are way more interested in bad news than good. Make your content negative, and you’ll have everyone hooked. Positivity? That’s for amateurs.

Example: Write an article titled “Why [insert new trend] is killing your brain.” Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not—people will eat it up because bad news gets clicks.

1.2.3 Curiosity Gap – Dangle the Carrot

Keep people wanting more by not giving them the full story up front. Tease just enough to make them click. Even if you don’t deliver on the promise, it’s too late, you already got the click.

Example: Post a blurry, cropped image of something gross or crazy with the caption, “You’ll NEVER believe what this is!” Doesn’t matter if it’s a lasagne covered in ketchup—just get the clicks.