492: Michael Shermer | Why We Believe Weird Things

Cold Reading

Cold reading is a psychological trick often used by supposed psychics to create the illusion of insight. Michael Shermer explains that it involves starting with broad, positive statements that apply to almost everyone, such as "I sense you're a very intelligent person," and then refining these statements based on the subject's reactions 1. This technique exploits common human desires and concerns, like love, health, money, and career, to draw people into revealing personal details, which are then used to create the illusion of psychic ability 1. Shermer recounts his experience with psychic Van Praagh, noting that people tend to remember the few accurate statements while forgetting the many misses 2.

The person actually doing the reading is not the psychic, but the person sitting there.

--- Michael Shermer

This highlights how cold reading relies on the subject's willingness to connect vague statements to their own lives.

   

Cognitive Biases

The divide between psychic entertainment and reality often hinges on cognitive biases and rapid decision-making. Shermer discusses how humans evolved to make quick decisions, often leading to false connections, like assuming a rustle in the grass is a predator 3. This tendency to connect unrelated events is a survival mechanism but also fuels superstitions and faulty beliefs. He also explores how biases, such as the bias blind spot, make it difficult for individuals to recognize their own cognitive errors while easily spotting them in others 4.

It's almost impossible to see it in yourself, very, very difficult.

--- Michael Shermer

This cognitive bias contributes to the persistence of beliefs in psychic phenomena despite evidence to the contrary.