MAGIC AND THE BRAIN

The December 2008 issue of Scientific American Magazine features an article on the research that neuroscientists are doing to study misdirection and how it impacts brain function. The article highlights the work of  Johnny Thompson, Penn & Teller and Richard Wiseman. Listed as the Key Concepts are : Magic tricks often work by covert misdirection, drawing the spectator’s attention away from the secret “method” that makes a trick work. Neuroscientists are scrutinizing magic tricks to learn how they can be put to work in experimental studies that probe aspects of consciousness not necessarily grounded in current sensory reality. Brain imaging shows that some regions are particularly active during certain kinds of magic tricks.