Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there (33 page)

Voilà, an instant miracle.

Using two different methods (static electricity and blowing) of obtaining the same effect is an important principle in faking mind over matter. Similarly, during the second part of the demonstration, people’s attention is directed towards your fingers and away from your mouth, which also helps misdirect them away from the real source of the movement.

The author
performing the straw demonstrations

http://www.richardwiseman.com/paranormality/PKdemo.html

The Ritual

Chapter Five ventured deep into the spooky world of ghosts and hauntings, and discovered how things that go bump in the night are actually due to the psychology of suggestion, a heightened sense of fear causing hyper-vigilance, and the brain’s ‘
Hypersensitive Agency Detection Device’.
Many people would love to experience a ghost, and this demonstration will convince your friends that you have the power to summon the spirits.
 

Ask your friend to stand about half a metre in front of a large mirror. Next, place a candle or other dim light directly behind them, and then turn off the lights. After about a minute of them gazing at their reflection, they will start to experience a strange illusion. According to work conducted by Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo
¹³⁰
.
 
, about 70 per cent of people will see their face become horribly distorted, with many eventually seeing it contort into the face of another person. According to folklore, the effect is enhanced if your friend chants the words ‘Bloody Mary’ 13 times. Although researchers are not sure what produces the weird effect, it seems to be due to the procedure preventing your brain ‘binding’ together the different features of your face into a single image.

Finish the demonstration by explaining that it is quite likely that the spirits will now follow them home and give them terrible nightmares for a week (especially effective if their hands were far apart during the suggestibility test).

 
Control Freak

Chapter Six explored the world of mind control, revealing how remarkable displays of telepathy led to the discovery of muscle reading, and how the study of cult leaders revealed the power of persuasion. Starting a cult is probably not a very good idea. There are, however, a few fun ways in which you can appear to control your friend’s behaviour.
 

First, ask your friend to clasp their hands together but to keep the index fingers of each hand extended, with a gap of about an inch between the two fingertips (see photograph below).
 

Next, announce that you are going to use the power of your mind to make their fingers drift together. Ask your friend to try as hard as they can to keep their index fingers apart, but to imagine a fine thread being wrapped around the ends, and the loop slowly tightening. You might find it helpful to mime the wrapping and tightening of the thread. After a few seconds your friend’s muscles will become fatigued and their fingers will slowly drift together.
 

Second, ask your friend to place their right hand flat on a tabletop. Their thumb and fingers should be spread out and flat on the table. Ask them to bend the second finger of their right hand inwards at the second joint and lay it against the table (see photograph).
 

Announce that you will use your mental abilities to prevent them lifting the third finger of their right hand off the table. Try as they might, your friend will not be able to move their third finger.
 

I hope that you enjoy demonstrating your newfound superpowers and will use them as a force for good.
 

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I wish to thank the University of Hertfordshire for supporting my work over the years. I would like to thank Sue Blackmore, James Randi, Jim Houran, Chris French, the mysterious Mr D, Peter Lamont, Max Maven, and David Britland for their invaluable contributions to this book. Also, special thanks to Emma Greening and Clive Jefferies for reading earlier drafts of the manuscript. This book would not have been possible without the guidance and expertise of my agent Patrick Walsh and editor Jon Butler. Special thanks also to my wonderful colleague, collaborator and partner, Caroline Watt.
 

About the author 

Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician. After completing an initial degree in psychology, he spent four years test- ing psychics and mediums as part of his doctorate at the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, Edinburgh University. For the past twenty years he has investigated the psychology of the paranormal, spending sleepless nights in haunted castles, investigating gurus in India, attempting to talk with the dead, and examining psychic dogs. Professor Wiseman has published over fifty academic papers on the paranormal and is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. He has spoken at The Royal Society, Microsoft, Caltech, Google, and The Royal Institution. Over a million people have taken part in Professor Wiseman’s mass participation experiments, and his YouTube channel has received over 10 million views. A survey conducted by Times Higher Education revealed that he was the psychologist most frequently quoted in the British media. Professor Wiseman is also listed as a ‘must follow’ scientist by The Celebrity Twitter Directory, and in 2010 the Independent on Sunday named him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.
 
His previous books include The Luck Factor, Did You Spot The Gorilla, Quirkology and 59 Seconds.

Endnotes

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   Rupert Sheldrake has also conducted research with Jaytee and believes that the results provide evidence for psychic ability.
    
   This work is described in his book ‘Dogs That Know When Their Owners are Coming Home’.
    
   My response to these studies is available at
   http://www.richardwiseman.com/Jaytee.shtml
   ♠
   
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   ♠
   
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   ♠
   
6.  
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