5. The Pratfall Effect
Nobody particularly enjoys looking like an idiot, but it could be a good way to make friends. Making mistakes is part of human nature, and it turns out that it can even make people like you more. According to the Pratfall Effect, those who never make mistakes are seen as inherently less likeable than people with a couple of flaws. In one study, participants were asked to listen to recordings of strangers answering quiz questions. Included in some of these recordings was the sound of the stranger knocking their coffee over. When the participants were asked to rate the strangers' likability. The clumsy coffee-spillers were almost always rated as the most likeable. Now, this doesn't mean that you can accidentally knock someone's dear granny's ashes out of a window and expect their undying friendship, but the odd stumble here and there, perhaps accidentally-on-purpose underdressing for an event, and you might just end up endearing yourself to your new best friend.