The Psychology of Magic: From Lab to Stage

by Alice Pailhès, Gustav Kuhn, MJM (contributor)

Scientifically-proven methods for improving your magic.

Partnering with Vanishing Inc, scientific researchers Gustav Kuhn and Alice Pailhès have created the first-ever book showcasing how to make your magic better with science. The Psychology of Magic: From Lab To Stage is a gorgeous 312-page hardback book containing 4+ years of research conducted in the world's only dedicated "Magic Lab."

This exceptional book is bursting with invaluable information, unlike anything magicians have ever seen before. While there have been books exploring the way psychology and magic work in harmony, none have been researched and written exclusively to serve as a scientific and practical guide for helping magicians apply these concepts to their own work.

There's no guesswork in The Psychology of Magic. These are practical techniques forged from real-life examples that have been specifically designed to help you create and perform better magic.

Despite its academic foundation, you are not buying a textbook filled with meaningless facts. The Psychology of Magic is a captivating guidebook that gives magicians the critical data they need, and then shows them exactly how to start applying it to their own magic right away.

Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down. Each chapter is laid out in a clear, easy-to-digest format. The book itself is also stunning and continues Vanishing Inc's legacy as the gold standard among magic book publishers.

Some of the many ways you'll learn how to make stronger magic include:

Exploiting your audience's blindspots
Using psychology to improve forcing
How visual illusions trick the brain
Getting more impact out of the magic you already perform

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[David Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book because I believe that science has something to add to the discussion of how the mind interprets magic. And I was heartened that one of the authors has been doing magic for 30 years. Certainly there are things to learn from science, and I'm still reading the book. However, I was disappointed in some ways.

This will be an interim review as I continue reading. I will add to it as I go along.

The standout problem is elevating the crosscut force to the top in quality. I mean, I'm a working pro, have been for 36 years full-time, and I've rarely used that move. It's been taught for decades in kids' magic classes, and there are millions of adults out there who know what it is. How did a scientist make that conclusion. The only thing I can think of is that he was misled by the numbers. Somehow, his cohort had people who hadn't been taught that sleight as a child. It might be because there's a generational difference, that by the time the cohort was old enough to take magic classes, the sleight was no longer being taught. But there are other generations above them that were taught the sleight. It's just a massive mistake.

It is also proof that science can be misled. And scientists will admit that. There are many things that can go wrong with numbers, and scientists agree that it's a process.

More as I read more....

[Roger Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book which examines magic from a scientific point of view based on psychology. There is much more research to be done but some of the findings from laboratory research can inform magicians to improve their performances.

[Saren Jelonek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely analysis of magic's many aspects. Demanding at times but worth a read if you're magician or someone deeply interested in magic.