{"id":871,"date":"2012-02-22T11:28:43","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T16:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/?p=871"},"modified":"2012-02-27T11:21:56","modified_gmt":"2012-02-27T16:21:56","slug":"psychology-cold-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/psychology-cold-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychology Behind Cold Reading: Why are Psychics Always Right?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/a>
How do psychics seem to know everything about us? Photo courtesy of newsusa on Flickr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Have you ever been to a psychic? If not, I’m sure you can point to a friend who has. Furthermore, I’m sure you have a friend who is an extreme<\/em>\u00a0believer in the power of psychics. Whether it’s\u00a0foreseeing\u00a0our future, telling us how a deceased loved one is handling the afterlife, or detailing the mistakes we’ve made in the past, psychics usually tell us things we want to hear (and believe are correct).<\/p>\n

Some of you who follow me closely on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0may have noticed I tweeted out an article on cold reading<\/a> recently. The entire article is a fascinating look at the art of psychic cold reading, and furthermore, how all the psychics seem to know you so well.<\/p>\n

So how do these psychics appear to be so familiar with the ins and outs of your life? The fact is, they have a trick. A very interesting, powerful trick.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A few years back, there was a radio personality named Betty who was the featured\u00a0psychic\u00a0on a national radio network. This is still a common practice today<\/a>, but Betty was one of the more famous (and better) psychics.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Dennis Dutton’s amazing article<\/a>, check out the exchange she had with one of the callers:<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cGood evening, Betty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:<\/em> \u201cGood evening, Maureen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cDo you hear anything from my Mum?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:<\/em> \u201cYes, I can, [Betty gushes<\/em>.] because I have the most smiling lady here beside me! You know, Maureen, she used to put her hands together in glee, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cYes.\u201d [A note of hesitation<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:<\/em> \u201cAnd she almost jumped up and down!\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d [With more confidence<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:<\/em> \u201cThat\u2019s what she’s doing at the moment! [Betty\u2019s voice reaches a peak of excitement, and then becomes more serious<\/em>.] Now, just as I was saying that, she was giving me a feeling \u2014 in the abdomen, not in the stomache \u2014 and it\u2019s all tight. It feels emaciated but blown up. And she’s having trouble breathing \u2014 it must have been that way at the end\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0Yes, yes, I was overseas when she died at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:<\/em> \u201cGosh, there is a crowd of people around her!\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:<\/em> \u201cIs there? [Maureen is astonished<\/em>.] Is Mum\u2019s sister with her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes, exactly.\u201d [Betty replies with casual confidence<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd my father?\u201d [Maureen almost shouts with excitement<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes, he\u2019s there too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd is my brother there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes, your brother is there too. And look [Betty\u2019s voice is almost embarrassed<\/em>.], I know this sounds funny, but there are\u00a0five<\/em>\u00a0grandparents here!<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cOh…[Maureen hesitates<\/em>.] Oh! That could be my Mum\u2019s English friend!<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd going back to that time, can we talk about a donkey cart?\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cOh, yes!\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd the times that were associated with it \u2014 you can really feel the pleasure of that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThat’s right.\u201d [Maureen is emphatic<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host<\/em>:\u00a0\u201cNow look \u2014 I\u201dm being shown a row of houses, and they\u2019re apartment houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes…\u201d [Maureen hesitates<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd there are about four of them…\u201d<\/p>\n

[Silence from Maureen, indicating puzzlement<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cNow bear with me here \u2014 and I\u2019ve got a sort of red brick.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Longer silence<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cNow, Maureen, this\u00a0isn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0where you lived!\u201d [Betty speaks firmly<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cNo…no, it\u2019s not.\u201d [Of course it isn\u201dt; but an awkward miss is being cleverly converted to a hit<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cBut it\u2019s where…ah…[Betty is groping<\/em>.]…ah…a dear friend lived! Can you understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes.\u201d [Maureen speaks without conviction: she is trying to figure who the friend might be.<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAlso, I\u2019m being handed a little posy of flowers. They\u2019re almost like forget-me-nots, but I\u2019m not sure that they are \u2014 and she\u2019s handing those to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cMy mother is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes,\u00a0it is<\/em>\u00a0your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cOh, how nice!\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd you know, Maureen, there\u2019s an anniversary coming up soon \u2014 a time of memory. It was somebody\u2019s birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cOh, yes…\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd that one sends their love to you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cAnd my brother [Maureen\u2019s voice takes on a melancholy tone<\/em>.], is he happy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cHe\u2019s happy\u00a0now<\/em>, he\u2019s telling me, and he\u2019s stressing the word\u00a0now<\/em>. He says, \u201cShe\u2019ll know \u2014 you don\u201dt have to ask me more \u2014 she\u2019ll know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cOh, I know…I know.\u201d [Maureen sighs<\/em>.]<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cI\u2019m having trouble keeping up with all of them here \u2014 they\u2019re all crowding in \u2014 and they\u2019re all happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cHere\u2019s one \u2014 a prickly one. Is my mother-in-law about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes, she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cIs\u00a0she<\/em>\u00a0happy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes, she is. She was a little bit of a discontented lady, she tells me.<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cYes! [Amazed<\/em>.] That\u2019s right!\u201d<\/p>\n

Host:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cBut she says, \u201cWell, you\u2019ve got to learn contentment, and there\u2019s no reason we can\u2019t have contentment here, because we have everything we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caller:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cIsn\u201dt that marvelous!\u201d ….<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ready to hear the tricks the host used to get inside Maureen’s head?<\/p>\n

Here’s the big one: notice how the show host (Betty) slowly works all the answers out of the caller (Maureen)<\/strong>. There are slight guesses involved, but Betty–being generally knowledgeable about people– can pull from stereotypes and generalizations to make educated statements that Maureen views as psychic. For example, Betty can tell the caller was over 55 years old by her voice and her accent is Irish. This may not seem like much, but knowing that houses in Ireland 50 years ago were typically brick, families in Ireland during this time period were larger, and a common cause of death is lung\/heart\/breathing issues, helps Betty pinpoint a great deal about Maureen’s life.<\/p>\n

Now, let’s check out a second example. One of the less obvious stereotypes is the “donkey cart” mentioned by Betty. Notice the wording Betty uses: the<\/em>\u00a0donkey cart. Not the donkey cart that belonged to Maureen, not the donkey cart that belonged to Marueen’s friend, just a donkey cart in general. Betty asks Maureen about it, and then lets Maureen fill it in herself which donkey cart it is. But how did Betty know Maureen was familiar with a donkey cart? Well, 40+ years ago, donkey carts were very common in Ireland, so it was a strong\u00a0educated\u00a0guess on Mareen’s part.<\/p>\n

Essentially, Betty, our wonderful host, will give very ambiguous statements, and leave it to the caller to fill in the blanks themselves.<\/p>\n

This is not just common in the world of psychics. Cold reading spans a great deal of areas. Think of a business person, looking to understand the wants and needs of his customers or stakeholders. Understanding stereotypes about a user, asking them open-ended questions, and getting them to fill in the blanks themselves can be a valuable asset.<\/p>\n

QoD<\/strong><\/span>: Have you ever talked to a psychic? What was your impression?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever been to a psychic? If not, I’m sure you can point to a friend who has. Furthermore, I’m sure you have a friend who is an extreme believer in the power of psychics. Whether it’s foreseeing our future, telling us how a deceased loved one is handling the afterlife, or detailing the mistakes we’ve made in the past, psychics usually tell us things we want to hear (and believe are correct). Well, how did the psychics know this? This article breaks down all the details on the psychology behind psychics and cold reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,84],"tags":[117,99],"class_list":["post-871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psychology","category-tips-tricks","tag-behavior","tag-psychology-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":883,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions\/883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmkthinks.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}