Did you know that mentalists can’t actually read minds? Yeah, wild. Unless they’re a certain sparkly vampire from Forks…
Kidding aside, you’ve probably seen many performances that involved “mind-reading”, live or on television.
But how does it work?
How are these “mind readers” able to guess the answers right every single time?
How do mentalism tricks work?
To answer these questions, we’re going to talk about mentalism, what it is, and how it works. By the end of the article, you’ll uncover some of the sneaky little tricks these performers pull on their audiences.
So let’s get started!
What is Mentalism?
Mentalism is the art of using a highly developed understanding of human psychology and body language to predict, control, and influence others to think, act, or believe things in a certain way.
Wait, so mentalism works the same way “magic” does right? Nope!
While some magicians do incorporate some mentalism-related techniques into their performances, it’s not the same as mentalism.
Magic tricks use a lot of props and sleight of hand, while mentalism uses psychological techniques to suggest and influence how the audience will think or act.
Here’s one great example of a simple mentalism trick that even newbies can use:
The Gray Elephant in Denmark
Please pay attention to how we’re going to run this trick so you can get the first-hand experience on how some mentalism acts work.
- First, we need you to pick a number between 1 – 10. Multiply that number by 9. After that, add the two digits of the multiplied number (if it has 2 digits) and subtract 5. (Ex. 4 x 9 = 36, 3 + 6 = 9, 9 – 5 =, etc.)
- Next, match that number to the corresponding letter in the alphabet. (Ex. A-1, B-2, etc.)
- Now think of a country that begins with that letter.
- Fourth, think of an animal whose name starts with the second letter of your chosen country.
- Lastly, what is the color of that animal?
Are you thinking about a gray elephant in Denmark?
Don’t worry, we don’t have spy cams watching your every move. We got the answer right through the power of mathematics and suggestions.
“Ew, math.”
Yeah, we know. But the trick is really easy!
Trick explained
Picking a number from 1-10, multiplying it by 9, adding the numbers together, and subtracting 5 will always result in 4.
Since the answer is 4, then the corresponding letter is D. While there are other countries that start with the letter “D”, the most common one is Denmark.
And what letter comes after “D” in Denmark? E. People will immediately think of an Elephant.
And from all the kiddie storybooks, school textbooks, and movies, we see that the elephant is mostly associated with the color gray!
So there you go. We invite you to try this trick out and amaze your family and friends!
How Does Mentalism Work?
As mentioned above, mentalism revolves around suggestion and a high level of understanding human psychology.
One way this is done is that the mentalist leads the participant into choosing a specific name, place, number, etc. without their knowledge.
The trick here is to make the person think they’re making a “free” choice instead of a predetermined one.
You can take the 3 of diamonds trick for example. You ask your volunteer to think of any card, and while they’re doing that, you subtle suggest the 3 of diamonds to them. You can do this by making a diamond shape with your fingers or sticking out 3 fingers.
Check how famous mentalist Derren Brown does it:
Another way mentalism tricks work is when your participant will make a genuinely free choice and you must gain the information through subterfuge.
An example of this is the people you sometimes meet while you’re in line. You guys hit it up, and they start subtly interviewing you.
These people may just find you interesting, but since you’re in line for a magic or mentalism show, expect there to be a few assistants mixed in the crowd.
The information they get from you will then be used by the mentalist to predict your answers.
Yes, it sounds creepy, but they do it so well, you don’t even notice!
Sometimes other sneaky mentalists pick-pocket wallets and IDs from audience members to get some useful information to use for their performance. But please refrain from doing this.
You might end up pick-pocketing a Taekwondo black-belter and it won’t end well for you…
What Does It Take to Become a Mentalist?
Aside from understanding how the human brain works, you also have to be charismatic, confident, charming, courteous, and polite.
This is another good difference between magicians and mentalists.
We’re not trying to sound mean, but magic tricks don’t really require a lot of “personality” from the performer. You can be as plain as flour and still entertain people with your tricks. What matters in magic is that your performance doesn’t suck.
Mentalism is the complete opposite. You have to influence people here. You need to make them believe that you can read their minds, communicate with the dead, etc.
Mentalism is designed to amaze and bewilder audiences through acts that are “beyond current human understanding”.
And for this to happen, you need to have the ability to influence a room full of people with a lot of skepticism and reservations towards “mind-reading” tricks.
Can I Become a Mentalist?
Yup! Anyone can become a mentalist with enough training, practice, and confidence.
Just know that there will be a lot of reading involved. Especially on the topic of the human psyche.
Luckily, nowadays we can practically learn anything to become anything. Everything is at the tip of your fingers – LITERALLY!
Want to become a mentalist? Look it up on Google.
There will be so many free tips, tricks, and even some online books and workshops that you can easily buy at affordable rates.
No need to go to school for 4 or more years just to guess that one of your audiences loves to eat yogurt for breakfast. Just hit the books.
But what about my confidence? My personality?
Chill. Just like with magic tricks and mentalism, you can learn those through practice and training.
Heck, you can even join a toastmasters group to improve your public speaking and stage-fright!
Conclusion
How do mentalism tricks work?
It’s all performance, suggestion, and psychology.
A mentalist knows how to influence a reaction, suggest a thought, read a person’s body language, and so much more.
We hope this article helped de-mystify mentalism for you, or at least gave you a better understanding of how it works and why it works so well!