Mentalists do a great job at making their audience believe that they have supernatural abilities that allow them to peek into people’s minds.
If you’ve ever been to a mentalist exhibition, you’ve probably asked yourself “how does mentalism work?”
Well, mentalism is not so much about being able to perform magic; it’s more about having a deeper understanding of human behaviors, feelings, and psychology.
Mentalists use their keen observation skills and persuasiveness to influence their audience’s thoughts, opinions, and actions. They’re experts at reading body language, facial expressions, and eye movements.
Today, we’re going to show you exactly how mentalism works. So let’s get started.
History of Mentalism
Royalties and noblemen from the middle-ages truly believed in the supernatural powers of oracles and seers in the past. So, you could say that this is where the concept of mentalism stems from.
The first-ever recorded act of mentalism was performed by pioneering sleight of hand master Girolamo Scotto in 1572. However, mentalism wouldn’t go mainstream until the early 1800s.
Some historians believe that mentalists may have used their abilities of mental deception in shaping the course of history.
For instance, Austrian hypnotist, clairvoyant, and occultist Erik Jan Hanussen was rumored to have helped Adolf Hitler understand the importance of dramatic effects and performance before the start of World War II.
Recently, mentalism has evolved to include various other forms of performing arts, including telepathy, rapid maths, cold readings, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. All of which share similar roots with misdirection, the ability to read body language, and the power of suggestion.
How Do Mentalists Trick the Mind?
The brain is a magnificent organ; capable of processing vast amounts of information. But just like all things that exist on earth, it has its faults.
It forgets important details such as appointments, meetings, where you parked your car, and (the most dangerous of all) anniversaries. It fails to process certain things in the environment that could lead to you getting hurt or injured.
It’s also incredibly vulnerable to trickery.
“Audiences are far from being as dumb as some performers seem to think.” — Theodore Annemann
For example, staring at this picture, your brain makes you think the shapes are moving when, in fact, it’s a still object.
Image via Pinterest
This is just one example that shows just how easy it is to trick and manipulate the mind. Mentalists take advantage of this weakness and use different techniques (e.g., suggestions) to influence their audience’s decisions.
The Four Pillars of Mentalism
There are four factors that come into play that help mentalists successfully perform their tricks:
- Body Language
- Misdirection
- Psychological Manipulation
- Performance Skills
Here’s what you need to know about these pillars.
Body Language
Communication is made up of more than just the words and languages we use when we speak to other people. It’s also the scrunching of eyebrows when you’re frustrated or mad, or the throwing of hand gestures when you’re excitedly talking about something.
These gestures and facial expressions are what we call body language. They are the unspoken element that goes into every conversation, aiding communication.
“We are, each of us, a product of the stories we tell ourselves” ― Derren Brown
Body language can be voluntary, but more often it is involuntary.
Mentalists are experts at spotting these involuntary movements and using them to trick their audiences into thinking that they can read minds.
For example, raising your eyebrows could mean approval, or tilting your head to the left could mean that you’re skeptical about a certain statement.
Body language isn’t always accurate, however. This is why mentalists use other techniques and factors to sell their act.
Misdirection
Misdirection is a technique used by mentalists to deceive their audience, making them focus on one thing and intentionally distracting them from another.
It takes advantage of the fact that the human brain can only focus on so many things at a time.
Check out this interesting video showing you what misdirection is like:
There are several ways a mentalist can use misdirection in their tricks, but the three most common ways are to:
- Disguise a move
- Hide the method
- Create false memories
Disguising a move
During mind-reading sessions, the best tool a mentalist can use to misdirect their subject’s attention is to “ask a question.”
When you ask someone a question, it takes them a while to form a complete thought. This gives you enough time to distract your subject from the “now,” as well as disguise your move.
Hiding your method
As a mentalist, you don’t want your audience to figure out how exactly you perform a certain trick. This is where misdirection comes into play.
An excellent way mentalists can hide their method is by false explanations i.e., pretending to explain their trick to the audience.
While the audience is busy listening to your explanation, they can’t work out how you’re doing the trick.
Creating false memories
Mentalists follow a specific script during their shows, something not a lot of people know.
This script was written to trick the audience into remembering what was said during a certain trick rather than what was done.
For instance:
At one point, you ask your subject to “cut the cards,” then later on you tell them, “so, earlier I had you mix the cards.”
The difference is subtle. However, it can influence a person’s perception way after the trick has been completed.
Psychological Manipulation
Again, mentalism has more to do with psychology than it has with magic.
Mentalists use psychological manipulation to get away with their tricks.
Watch this video of Derren Brown explaining how illusionists and mentalists target your unconscious mind:
Performance Skills
Mentalists are performers.
So it only makes sense that to be an effective mentalist, you have to possess exceptional performance skills.
A couple of things mentalists must work on are:
- Showmanship
- Storytelling
- Adaptability
- Humor
- Public speaking
These skills will help you connect with your audience and be a more convincing performer on stage or in closed groups.
Becoming a Mentalist
Practice and perseverance are the two key ingredients to becoming a world-class mentalist. It’s not just a game of guesswork and conundrums. It’s years and years of focus and concentration.
Interested in becoming a mentalist yourself?
Check out our website for resources and tips on how to become a mentalist!