We want what we want.

But how do we get it?

Lucky for us research has unlocked four words you can always lean on to influence people.

First up, it's all about the "you."

Studies show using the word YOU gets people excited.

Want to go a step further?

Use a person's name.

The research is conclusive.

We trust and engage more with people when we hear our names out loud or read them in a note.

Who doesn't love free stuff?

It's no surprise the word "free" is next on our list.

In his book "Predictably Irrational," Dan Ariely conducted a little study.

First, he offered people a choice between a Lindor Truffle for 15 cents

and a Hershey Kiss for a penny.

People jumped all over the Truffle.

It's delicious, why wouldn't they?

But in the second stage,

he offered them the same Truffle for 14 cents

and the Hershey Kiss for free.

And you can guess how that went.

Everyone wanted a Kiss.

The moral? People love free stuff so much,

they'll make different choices even if the value stays basically the same.

"Because"

It's a powerful word, and you don't even have to have a reason.

Check out this study from "Influence" by Robert Calidini,

all about cutting in line at the copy machine.

In the first test, people tried to cut in line saying merely,

"Excuse me, I have 5 pages, may I use the Xerox machine?"

This works 60% of the time.

Then they changed things up

with people cutting in line saying:

"I have 5 pages, may I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?"

That's barely even a reason!

But what happened?

94% of people allowed that person to cut

due to a simple "because" statement.

Finally, use the word "instantly."

Studies have proven people love instant gratification.

So, when you promise it to them,

even in passing on the job,

it can really pay off.

So next time you are lazer-focused on that one thing you can't resist,

consider mixing in some of these successful selections from our dictionary

and turn things around!

Anchor.

Find something you have in common.

This can be something you've experienced

or something you're both experiencing in that moment.