Wrap Him Around Your Finger.(Brief Article)

When you want to get your way, rely on these strategies.

* Whether you want him to trim facial hair that's beginning to make him look like a long lost member of ZZ Top or pick up your chain-smoking great-aunt at the airport, you must understand the most fundamental male mandate: Obeying flat-out commands from our women makes us feel like wusses. So don't force us to stand our ground and deny you--instead, try these psychological ploys tailored specifically to work with the male mind, not against it.

make him think it's his choice

Narrow your wishes down to two satisfactory options, then fool your man into thinking he's exercising free will by asking him to pick between them. For example, when renting a movie, ask him whether he'd rather see Chocolat or Sweet November. He'll select one without realizing Rush Hour was an option. Brian [*], 26, was successfully suckered this way--which he realized only in hindsight, of course. "My girlfriend Rebecca used to ask 'Do you want to cook dinner or do the dishes?' Later, it occurred to me that I would have preferred to order in."

lowball him

Men like to negotiate. Aside from our natural inclination to wheel and deal, hammering out a compromise makes us feel like we're in control of our destiny. "My new girlfriend wanted me to go to her cousin's wedding," remembers Ty, 23. "But the original request was that I accompany her to the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the brunch the next day. Compared to all that, just going to the wedding seemed like a cakewalk." So engage your guy's inner Trump by asking for much more than you want, then watch him whittle it down to what you were really after.

time it right