"I can read minds"

[Afields]

Do you think mentalists should claim to be able to read minds? Do you think this patronizes your audience?

I had a class period today where someone came up to speak about non-verbal communication. As a psychology major I knew more about the subject than the person speaking, and I asked him some questions about things he most likely came across (Helping him elaborate to get a better grade). I realized that this could possibly happen to a "mentalist" who claims to read body language or micro-signals. What if someone in the audience knows more than you do about the subject and calls you out on it?

[Misjief]

A-

This is area is so wide and vague you probably could get away with murder and never get caught...
Even the experts disagree - so take the easy out and say it all depends on the nuances of the situation. It is a ART rather then a exact science.

At the same time if you use the Non-Verbal theme in your show you probably should bone up and do some level of research.

I have a really hard time teaching it and tried to simplify things by coming up with a rough grid... details later ... Boss wants his 'puter.

-misj-

[Novembre]

Mentalism, just like all other forms of magic, is done to create a specific effect and entertain the audience. Sometimes, the greatest way to get the desired effect is to build it up with some intro or story ("I can read minds", "do you think objects can move on their own?", etc.)

Think about it like this: when we watch a movie or see a play, we know the characters on stage are all fake and just portrayed by actors, but what makes the show entertaining is getting lost in a good performance and enjoying the imaginary world on screen/stage.

In the end, people like being deceived or tricked - that's why magic is popular and exciting. I don't think it's wrong to make a claim like that -- most of the time, it just enhances the performance.

[Opivy]

Wow, that was a really great post Novembre! Couldn't agree more.

Although, I can't stand the people that really insist they can read minds once everythings said and done.

If someone actually believes I have some insane harry potter type of ability, I always tell them "It's called a Magic Trick... It's supposed to trick you."

[Afields]

Even the experts do disagree, but not as widely as one would think.

The question sort of comes with the "build" of mentalism effects. Many mentalists claim not to read minds but are more "in tune" with other people and the world around them. That's a whole other fish.

Most modern "mind readers" claim that psychology and NLP are at play during their shows. I think the pitfall for most mentalists is that they cannot explain their own effects in those terms. The audience is just expected to believe what they're saying. Yet things like NLP and Psych are popular topics, most people (in my area) have some knowledge in those fields.

The problem comes with the execution of this patter. When you say "I'm more in tune with the world (the implication being more in tune than your audience). Thus I can do these things." You are basically claiming you can read minds. On the flip side, if you're claiming to be an expert in psychology and NLP, you better know your shit. NLP has been caught several times making claims that it cannot support. Etc etc.

Tl;dr - I think that mentalists have more of a chance of patronizing their audience, and making hecklers and skeptics out of all of them. The effects from a mentalist standpoint are very intriguing but potentially very invasive. People are fascinated by the effects mentalists do, however, they are going to want to know more than ever how you're able to accomplish such things. The way we go about addressing this is very important, it could mean the difference between your audience liking you or not.

[DidiMoco]

Originally Posted by Novembre

Think about it like this: when we watch a movie or see a play, we know the characters on stage are all fake and just portrayed by actors, but what makes the show entertaining is getting lost in a good performance and enjoying the imaginary world on screen/stage.

In the end, people like being deceived or tricked - that's why magic is popular and exciting. I don't think it's wrong to make a claim like that -- most of the time, it just enhances the performance.

This is so beautiful, man! Very cool what you said.
I can speak for myself. I have a degree in psychology and master's degree in literature and arts. One and other thing go together (psychology and told a history), but in the sense that you say, a kind of subtle charm rather than mental powers. Or the mystery of counting, see and hear a story, as much of a magic well executed.

[retired]

I like to present the Word in a Million book test as an experiment involving thought transmission. I only do this in a group situation where the group members know each other. I present the effect as a test of the chosen subjects willpower. I have learned that it is more effective to only partially get the word and take the blame for not getting the whole word. All my emphasis is on the subjects abilities not mine.

I like to get the group to applaud the efforts of the subject. This seems to be more palatable to the audience than if I claim great powers. One useful ploy is to get the subject to try to transmit one of the vowels in the word to everyone in the room and then have a show of hands from those who got it right. Then get them all to try to receive the others along with yourself.

In other words I try to avoid the superpowers approach which no adult is likely to accept.