“thinks he’s in control. And the secret to gaining the upper hand in a negotiation is giving the other side the illusion of control. The genius of this technique is really well explained by something that the psychologist Kevin Dutton says in his book Split-Second Persuasion.1 He talks about what he calls “unbelief,” which is active resistance to what the other side is saying, complete rejection. That’s where the two parties in a negotiation usually start.”