Researchers use magic to conjure up confidence and social skills
Embargo: midday (12:00 BST) Thursday 11 September 2008
For years, audiences have been thrilled by the amazing performances of master magicians, such as David Blaine and Derren Brown. Now, the results of a new experiment announced today at the BA Festival of Science suggests that such magical feats can also work wonders with children’s confidence and social skills.
The study, conducted by Rebecca Godfrey, Dr Sarah Woods, and Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire, involved assessing the effect of teaching secondary school children some seemingly impossible illusions, including how to magically restore a rope that has been cut in half, and read another person’s mind.
'Learning magic requires self-discipline, an understanding of how other people think, and an ability to entertain,' noted psychologist Professor Wiseman. 'Also, unlike playing computer games, it encourages children to interact with their friends and family. Because of this, we thought it might be a unique and effective way of developing an important set of psychological skills.'
The project involved 50 pupils aged between 10 and 12 at two schools in Hertfordshire. Assessments, taken both before and after just a single lesson at ‘magic school’, revealed dramatic psychological effects, with the results suggesting a significant increase in both sociability and confidence. The researchers also monitored the pupils during a standard lesson commonly used to increase self-esteem, and discovered that performing magic proved more effective at promoting both social skills and confidence.
Initial findings suggest that some children with low self-esteem may also benefit from learning and performing the tricks. Commenting on this part of the project, Rebecca Godfrey noted, 'It is early days yet, but these results are very encouraging and we hope that this approach can be used to develop new and exciting ways of reaching out to these children.'
Marvin Berglas from Marvin’s Magic, noted: 'These results confirm the many letters and emails that we receive from children saying how their new found talents have elevated their playground status. Also, magic encourages children to interact with their friends and family, and is also both fun and cool.'
The BA Festival of Science will take place in Liverpool from 6-11 September bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events happening throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. For further information, visit www.the-ba.net/festivalofscience.
This year’s BA Festival of Science is organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the University of Liverpool. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
• Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician and now holds Britain’s only chair in the Public Understanding of Psychology, lecturer Dr Sarah Woods has published widely on the psychology of bullying, and Rebecca Godfrey is currently studying for an MSc in Psychology. All three are based at the University of Hertfordshire.
• Professor Richard Wiseman is available for interviews and can be contacted via the BA Press Office or r.wiseman@herts.ac.uk.
• Marvin Berglas is the creator of Europe's largest and best-known magic companies, Marvin's Magic. The researchers would like to thank Marvin’s Magic for kindly supplying the tricks used in the study. Marvin Berglas is available for comment.
• Additional details:
At the start of the study, each child completed standard measures of social skills and self-esteem, and their teachers provided individual assessments of sociability and confidence. In one school, children were given a standard PSHE (personal, social and health education) lesson that aimed to increase self-esteem and social skills. This involved a series of activities, including: individual and group writing exercises about things that made the children feel good; being read a story and putting their thumbs up and down to indicate when the main character felt happy and sad; creating inspirational statements; and avoiding nasty behaviours (e.g., gossiping, ignoring others, name-calling). Two weeks later, the social skills, self-esteem, sociability and confidence measures were taken a second time. The group was then given a lesson in how to perform two magic tricks (magically restoring a rope that has been cut in half, and a mind-reading trick), and were asked to show the tricks to their friends and family. Two weeks later, the third (and final) set of social skills, self-esteem, sociability, and confidence measurements were taken. Children in a second school received exactly the same lessons, but in reverse order (magic lesson first, then PSHE lesson). The teachers’ ratings revealed that the children were significantly more sociable and confident after the magic lesson than after the standard PSHE lesson, and the children rated ‘magic school’ as significantly more enjoyable.
• Three quick and simple tricks that will help boost self-esteem
Is that your card?
1) Shuffle a deck of cards, and secretly look at the bottom card.
2) Fan out the cards face down, and ask your friend to take a card from the deck and look at it.
3) Square up the deck and hold it face down. Ask your friend to place their card on the top of the deck.
4) Cut the deck roughly in half, and then complete the cut by placing the lower portion on top of the upper portion.
5) Turn the deck face up, and spread out the cards on a table.
6) Secretly look for the card that was on the bottom of the deck, and your friend’s card will be lying on top of it. Pick out their card and announce ‘Is that your card?’.
Mind Reading Magic
1) Lay a 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p coin on a table.
2) Turn your back, and ask your friend to choose any coin.
3) Ask them to pick up the coin and hold it tightly in their hand for a few moments whilst concentrating on it.
3) Next, have them put the coin back on the table and move all of the coins around.
4) To find out which coin they chose, pick up each coin and hold it against your forehead. The coin they chose will feel warmer than the others.
The amazing jumping band
1) Place a rubber band over your first (index) and second (middle) fingers, and slide it all the way down to the bottom of your fingers.
2) Slowly curl your fingers into the shape of a fist, and stretch the rubber band so that it’s over all of your fingers.
3) When your friends look at the back of your hand, they will think that the rubber band is only around your first and second fingers.
4) Open all your fingers, and the rubber band will jump onto your third and little fingers!
• The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. The BA also organises specific activities for the science communication community in the UK through its Science in Society programme. For more information, please visit www.the-ba.net.
• Press registration for the BA Festival of Science, including access to the dedicated Press Centre, is available via www.the-ba.net/pressregister.
• For further information about the BA Festival of Science, please contact Lisa Hendry, the BA Press Officer, Tel: 020 7019 4946, Email: lisa.hendry@the-ba.net.
For years, audiences have been thrilled by the amazing performances of master magicians, such as David Blaine and Derren Brown. Now, the results of a new experiment announced today at the BA Festival of Science suggests that such magical feats can also work wonders with children’s confidence and social skills.
The study, conducted by Rebecca Godfrey, Dr Sarah Woods, and Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire, involved assessing the effect of teaching secondary school children some seemingly impossible illusions, including how to magically restore a rope that has been cut in half, and read another person’s mind.
'Learning magic requires self-discipline, an understanding of how other people think, and an ability to entertain,' noted psychologist Professor Wiseman. 'Also, unlike playing computer games, it encourages children to interact with their friends and family. Because of this, we thought it might be a unique and effective way of developing an important set of psychological skills.'
The project involved 50 pupils aged between 10 and 12 at two schools in Hertfordshire. Assessments, taken both before and after just a single lesson at ‘magic school’, revealed dramatic psychological effects, with the results suggesting a significant increase in both sociability and confidence. The researchers also monitored the pupils during a standard lesson commonly used to increase self-esteem, and discovered that performing magic proved more effective at promoting both social skills and confidence.
Initial findings suggest that some children with low self-esteem may also benefit from learning and performing the tricks. Commenting on this part of the project, Rebecca Godfrey noted, 'It is early days yet, but these results are very encouraging and we hope that this approach can be used to develop new and exciting ways of reaching out to these children.'
Marvin Berglas from Marvin’s Magic, noted: 'These results confirm the many letters and emails that we receive from children saying how their new found talents have elevated their playground status. Also, magic encourages children to interact with their friends and family, and is also both fun and cool.'
The BA Festival of Science will take place in Liverpool from 6-11 September bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events happening throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. For further information, visit www.the-ba.net/festivalofscience.
This year’s BA Festival of Science is organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the University of Liverpool. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
• Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician and now holds Britain’s only chair in the Public Understanding of Psychology, lecturer Dr Sarah Woods has published widely on the psychology of bullying, and Rebecca Godfrey is currently studying for an MSc in Psychology. All three are based at the University of Hertfordshire.
• Professor Richard Wiseman is available for interviews and can be contacted via the BA Press Office or r.wiseman@herts.ac.uk.
• Marvin Berglas is the creator of Europe's largest and best-known magic companies, Marvin's Magic. The researchers would like to thank Marvin’s Magic for kindly supplying the tricks used in the study. Marvin Berglas is available for comment.
• Additional details:
At the start of the study, each child completed standard measures of social skills and self-esteem, and their teachers provided individual assessments of sociability and confidence. In one school, children were given a standard PSHE (personal, social and health education) lesson that aimed to increase self-esteem and social skills. This involved a series of activities, including: individual and group writing exercises about things that made the children feel good; being read a story and putting their thumbs up and down to indicate when the main character felt happy and sad; creating inspirational statements; and avoiding nasty behaviours (e.g., gossiping, ignoring others, name-calling). Two weeks later, the social skills, self-esteem, sociability and confidence measures were taken a second time. The group was then given a lesson in how to perform two magic tricks (magically restoring a rope that has been cut in half, and a mind-reading trick), and were asked to show the tricks to their friends and family. Two weeks later, the third (and final) set of social skills, self-esteem, sociability, and confidence measurements were taken. Children in a second school received exactly the same lessons, but in reverse order (magic lesson first, then PSHE lesson). The teachers’ ratings revealed that the children were significantly more sociable and confident after the magic lesson than after the standard PSHE lesson, and the children rated ‘magic school’ as significantly more enjoyable.
• Three quick and simple tricks that will help boost self-esteem
Is that your card?
1) Shuffle a deck of cards, and secretly look at the bottom card.
2) Fan out the cards face down, and ask your friend to take a card from the deck and look at it.
3) Square up the deck and hold it face down. Ask your friend to place their card on the top of the deck.
4) Cut the deck roughly in half, and then complete the cut by placing the lower portion on top of the upper portion.
5) Turn the deck face up, and spread out the cards on a table.
6) Secretly look for the card that was on the bottom of the deck, and your friend’s card will be lying on top of it. Pick out their card and announce ‘Is that your card?’.
Mind Reading Magic
1) Lay a 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p coin on a table.
2) Turn your back, and ask your friend to choose any coin.
3) Ask them to pick up the coin and hold it tightly in their hand for a few moments whilst concentrating on it.
3) Next, have them put the coin back on the table and move all of the coins around.
4) To find out which coin they chose, pick up each coin and hold it against your forehead. The coin they chose will feel warmer than the others.
The amazing jumping band
1) Place a rubber band over your first (index) and second (middle) fingers, and slide it all the way down to the bottom of your fingers.
2) Slowly curl your fingers into the shape of a fist, and stretch the rubber band so that it’s over all of your fingers.
3) When your friends look at the back of your hand, they will think that the rubber band is only around your first and second fingers.
4) Open all your fingers, and the rubber band will jump onto your third and little fingers!
• The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. The BA also organises specific activities for the science communication community in the UK through its Science in Society programme. For more information, please visit www.the-ba.net.
• Press registration for the BA Festival of Science, including access to the dedicated Press Centre, is available via www.the-ba.net/pressregister.
• For further information about the BA Festival of Science, please contact Lisa Hendry, the BA Press Officer, Tel: 020 7019 4946, Email: lisa.hendry@the-ba.net.
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