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Richard Wiseman

Richard Wiseman Books

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“We're starting to realize that magicians have a lot of implicit know-ledge about how we perceive the world around us because they have to deceive us in terms of controlling attention, exploiting the assumptions we make when we do and don't notice a change in our environment. There is an enormous amount of really detailed instruction on how to perform magic. People are always blown away by how detailed a description you'll have.”

PeopleKnowsWorldTermRealizingAttentionEnvironmentMagicAmountStartingEnormousPerceiveAssumptionDescriptionInstructionDeceivingMagicianOur EnvironmentImplicitBlown AwayLedges
Author:Richard Wiseman
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“When you gossip about another person, listeners unconsciously associate you with the characteristics you are describing, ultimately leading to those characteristics' being “transferred” to you. So, say positive and pleasant things about friends and colleagues, and you are seen as a nice person. In contrast, constantly complain about their failings, and people will unconsciously apply the negative traits and incompetence to you.”

PeoplePersonsNiceFailingNegativeComplainingCharacteristicsPleasantGossipContrastTraitsListenersColleaguesAssociatesDescribingIncompetenceNice PersonPleasant Things
Book:59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot
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“Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and as a result miss other types of jobs. Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.”

PeopleLooksJobsCertainOpportunityChancePerfectResultsPartyMissingTypeLuckyFindingsDeterminedFocusedPartnersNewspapersGood FriendRelaxedAdvertisementsUnluckyMissing OpportunityPerfect Partner
Author:Richard Wiseman
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“Magicians are manipulating your consciousness. They are showing you something impossible. They're getting you to construct a narrative, which simply isn't true. So that means they know how to make you aware of certain things and blind to other things. What I'm hoping is that magic, this entertainment vehicle that has been around for a long time, will give us a real insight into the deep mysteries of consciousness”

KnowsGivingMeanLongHas BeensRealCertainConsciousnessKnow HowImpossibleMagicMysteryLong TimeBlindEntertainmentInsightNarrativeVehicleConstructsMagician
Author:Richard Wiseman
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“As we continue toward the fifth secret technique of psychics, I have a gut feeling that you are the sort of person that lets your heart rule your head, can sometimes be too impulsive for your own good, and have recently come into contact with a goat. Rest assured you are not the only one.”

HeartPersonsSometimesFeelingsSecretTechniqueContactGutsPsychicsAssuredFifthGoatsImpulsiveGut Feelings
Book:Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there
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“Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating their own chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.”

PeopleSelfOpportunityChanceDecisionAttitudePrinciplesFourListeningLuckyCreatingExpectationsLuckFortuneIntuitionFulfillingGood FortuneResilientBad LuckBasic PrinciplesPositive Expectations
Author:Richard Wiseman
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