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September 30, 2011

Strange but True!

Q. When does “saying become believing”?

A. This happens all too often in life. When University of Oregon psychologist Ray Hyman was in his teens, he supplemented his income by doing magic and mental shows, including palmistry, says David G. Myers in “Social Psychology.” When Hyman began, he did not believe in palmistry at all but he knew that to “sell” it, he had to act as if he did. After a few years, he found himself becoming a firm believer. Then one day a professional mentalist suggested that he experiment by deliberately giving readings opposite to what the palm lines indicated. “I tried this out with a few clients and to my surprise and horror, my readings were just as successful as ever,” says Hyman. “Since then, I have been interested in the powerful forces that convince us, palm readers and clients alike, that something is so when it really isn’t.”


 
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