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[ NOTES ON A STRANGE WORLD M A S S IMO P OL IDOR O Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, lecturer, and co-founder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His website is at www.massimopolidoro.com.

I Was a Teenage

he psychic looks at us from the tel- years, now runs perfectly; another one For a few years, Geller had been able evision screen and says, “Take out has jumped ahead one hour; a Rolex to convince people (including scientists) Tyour broken watches and your cut- watch, whose whole inside mechanism that he could bend keys and forks, guess lery and bring them close to the televi- needed to be re placed at an estimated drawings in sealed enve lopes, and predict sion set: I will try to make something cost of nearly $1,000, now works per- future events with the power of his mind. happen in your own homes! Broken fectly. Over twenty-four more phone After various investigators showed that watches may start ticking again and calls from people reporting to have seen his claims had no scientific basis (Randi cutlery might bend; also, look out be - their broken watches being fixed follow! 1975; Marks and Kamman 1980; Gard- cause other strange phenomena may But that’s not all: dozens of other ner 1981), his career as a psychic super- happen: the chandelier may swing or people call to say that their spoons, star faded. the TV may go off. . . .” forks, and keys have bent; a glass of One of the most convincing perform- The psychic then attempts to cause water has begun to boil; a TV set has ances of this charismatic character was, the hands on the TV host’s watch to gone off; and much, much more (see in fact, his apparent ability to cause move backward by way of his “psychic table 1 for a description of the phenom- strange phenomena to happen directly powers.” While doing this, he invites the ena reported by TV viewers during this inside the houses of TV viewers. After viewers to concentrate on their own hour of broadcasting). this phenomenon regularly occurred (as watches, which the psychic is also trying The episode just described really took dozens of phone callers could testify each to fix. Suddenly, on the host’s watch we place in 1992 when, as a guest on a pop- time), the most obvious conclusion for see that the time has gone back two ular Italian TV show, L’Istruttoria (The most of the audience was that the phe- hours! Now is the time to check if some- Inquest), I had a chance to test a theory I nomenon had to be real because Geller thing has happened in the homes of the was rather curious about. With the com- could not possibly have had so many viewers: they are invited to call the TV plicity of the show’s host, I intended to stooges faking support for his claim. station and tell about their experiences. pose as a psychic and duplicate a demon- The paranormal, however, most likely The phones in the studio’s offices start stration that, during the 1970s, had made has nothing to do with this demonstra- ringing with being reported famous a man who claimed to possess tion; the explanation in fact could lie with each call: a watch, stopped for many real psychic powers: Israel’s Uri Geller. more easily in an interesting effect of mass suggestion. It was not the first time I posed as a psychic to test this theory. In 1989, in fact, James “The Amazing” After only five minutes or so, about Randi asked me to claim psychic powers on a radio show in order to later demon- twenty people called reporting the strate, during the Exploring Psychic Pow- strangest things: a television set had ers Live! TV show, how anyone could du- plicate this phenomenon just by the turned on all by itself; a cat was behaving clever use of suggestion. I did as Randi instructed and went on the radio show strangely; a picture had fallen from and claimed that as I was talking incred- the wall; a bulb in a lamp had ex ploded... ible things would start to happen in the houses of the listeners. and much more. After only five minutes or so, about twenty people called reporting the strangest things: a television set had turned on all by itself; a cat was behav-

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ing strangely; a picture had fallen from gated to give what I had to say more at- Owing to the sense of compliance to- the wall; a bulb in a lamp had ex ploded; tention. ward authority, which is profoundly in- a book on had fallen from Furthermore, in both cases my claims fused in human beings, some spectators the table; the whole computer network were not doubted by the hosts: both ex- may well have surrendered to the judg- of a lawyer’s office had gone down; and pressed their belief in their reality and ment of the hosts and undertaken the much more. pretended they were very puzzled. This same attitude of wonder that the hosts There was nothing extraordinary way, I was benefitting from the authority exhibited toward my claims. At this about those things. They happen often factor, a principle whose strength has point, the message we wanted to get but nobody pays much attention them been clearly shown by Stanley Milgram. through—namely, that I had real psychic or thinks that they must be related to some psychic phenomenon; however, Table 1. Phenomena Reported by the TV Viewers of L’Istruttoria after the listeners had been alerted by During an Hour of Broadcasting me to watch for unusual phenomena, almost any event that occurred while I Italian City Phenomena Notes was talking could easily be interpreted as evidence for my claims by the most Cesate (Province of Milan) three watches restart had been stopped for at least suggestible people. four years Let’s try, then, to understand the Arezzo watch runs briefly had been stopped for more psychological conditions that can gen- than 100 years erate and enhance a similar belief in Senago (Province of Milan) watch starts again had been stopped for two some listeners. months Perugia clock works again had been “broken” Persuasion in Action Cagliari two watches restart had been stopped for ten We are obviously dealing with some of years the major principles of persuasion, in- Cuneo watch jumps six hours ahead had been stopped at the time cluding the reciprocity principle, the Roma watch restarts had been stopped for years authority factor, the motivation and co- Milano watch restarts had been “broken” herence principle, the shortage princi- Parma clock runs an hour had been broken for two years Napoli watch runs briefly had been stopped for years ple, the sympathy principle, and the so- cial confirmation principle. Robert B. Milano clock runs backward had been stopped for twenty- five years Cialdini has summarized these princi- Frosinone watch runs fast had been “broken” ples very clearly. According to Cial dini, Milano watch restarts had been stopped for two these principles come into play almost years automatically and therefore are easily Bari clock runs fast had been stopped for two exploited by those who know how they years work. Let’s see how these principles Alghero watch (Rolex) restarts owner saved from expensive apply to the situations described above. repairs First of all, the “psychic” sets the Province of Milan two spoons are misplaced stopped watch also started stage: he presents himself to the public Fidenza watch jumps an hour ahead had been stopped for months as a believable person. In my case, at the Napoli two watches restart had been stopped for years beginning of the radio broadcast, the Roma watch restarts had been “broken” host told his listeners that some Italian Mazzara del Vallo key bends It was not the one held in the universities were conducting experi- hand ments on my powers; on TV, I was able Catania watch hands go back and forth had been stopped for two to demonstrate my claimed powers by years bending and breaking a spoon, correctly Modena bent spoon straightens also the TV set went off guessing a drawing sealed in an enve- Torino Four pieces of cutlery bend lope, and making some radish seeds Bari fork bends “by itself” germinate in my hand. In other words, Imperia glass of water “boils” had already happened I had offered something solid to the Cuneo spoon bends a watch also stopped viewers: convincing demonstrations of Trieste spoon bends had already happened extraordinary powers. The reciprocity Napoli watch restarts had been stopped for a long principle, which states that we have to time reciprocate when we’re given some- Cagliari watch breaks up thing, was then activated. In this case, Cagliari pendulum clock stops in exchange for my demonstration the TV viewer might have felt more obli-

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Conclusion powers—was already appearing as a con- can’t surrender to this without fighting. n sistent hypothesis by a considerable Considering the complexity of the world The stakes are too high” (217). number of the viewers. in which we live, it is natural that people, References For the persuasion to be effective, in making their decisions, do not take ad- Cialdini, Robert. B. 1984. Influence: How and Why however, the spectators had to feel mo- vantage of all the available data but rely People Agree to Things. New York: William tivated to participate in the experi- only on some isolated and representative Morrow and Company. Gardner, Martin. 1981. Science: Good, Bad, and ment—and what better motivation item. This “economy” strategy to proceed Bogus. Amherst, NY: . than the possibility of personally living by shortcuts inevitably leads us to make Harris, Ben. 1985. Gellerism Revealed. Calgary: an extraordinary experience and com- inferences on the basis of incomplete Hades International. Harris, Richard Jackson. 2009. A Cognitive Psyc - ing face-to-face with the supernatural? data; consequently, wrong decisions are hology of Mass Communication, fifth edition. This persuasion was especially effective often made. As Cialdini (1984) wrote: London: Routledge. because I was constantly repeating that “We need simple, reliable, and effective Marks, D., and R. Kamman. 1980. The Psychology of the Psychic. Amherst, NY: Prometheus these phenomena didn’t happen all the rules of conduct. But if the tricks of the Books. time and didn’t happen to just anyone: sharks undermine their functionality, we Pratkanis, Anthony. Age of Propaganda. New York: only the few “chosen” ones could live loose faith in these rules; we then use A.H. Freeman and Company. them less, and we find ourselves ill Randi, James. 1975. The of Uri Geller. New this wonderful experience. This is the York: Ballantine. Reprinted as The Truth shortage principle: an experience ap - equipped in facing the burden of deci- About Uri Geller (1983). Amherst, NY: Pro- pears more attractive if its availability sions that today’s life places upon us. We metheus Books. ap pears to be limited. Also, the fact that I had an unas- suming attitude (and that I apologized various times in case the demonstration failed) helped to make me more like- able: without acknowledging it, the spectators were wishing for everything to go well and were ready to act their Where can you hear the leading voices of skepticism and science on a weekly part toward achieving this aim. basis? On Point of Inquiry, the Center for Inquiry’s podcast and radio show, At this point, the spectators were which is now one of the most popular science programs online. ready to interpret anything happening Listen for free at www.pointofinquiry.org today! in their houses (no matter how prosaic) as proof of the reality of my psychic powers. There was still one more very Each week, Point of Inquiry brings you incisive interviews, important persuasive factor that played features, and commentary, focusing on the three research areas of the a role as soon as the phone calls started Center for Inquiry: pseudoscience and the paranormal; alternative medicine; arriving: the social confirmation prin- and religion, ethics, and society. ciple. “If so many people call to say that their cat is behaving strangely or that In addition to new shows every Friday, the entire archive of past episodes their watches are working again,” some can be accessed online at www.pointofinquiry.org. spectators may have wondered, “maybe I should call in to say that the light Previous popular guests include: went off for a few seconds!” RICHARD DAWKINS | SAM HARRIS The illusion created by the number NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON | ANN DRUYAN of phone calls coming in was that all and many more! the spectators tuned into that same channel were personally experiencing Hosted by some spectacular demonstration of psy- chic phenomena—a fact that in evitably nourished further phone calls and could have very well resulted in headlines on the following day’s newspapers had we not revealed the experiment. In reality, the small percentage of spectators call- Chris Mooney Robert M. Price Karen Stollznow ing was enough to quickly jam the switchboard of the TV station for a few www.PointofInquiry.org hours.

22 Volume 35 Issue 3 | Skeptical Inquirer