How Fortune-Tellers Know So Much

If you've ever visited a fortune teller you probably came away
amazed at the things they knew about you — things no one else
could possibly have known — so it must be ESP, right? Research
into the fortune-telling business shows that operators use a
technique known as 'cold reading' which can produce an accuracy
of around 80% when 'reading' a person you've never met.
While it can appear to be magical to naïve and vulnerable
people, it is simply a process based on the careful observation
of body language signals plus an understanding of human
nature and a knowledge of probability statistics. It's a technique
practised by psychics, tarot card readers, astrologists
and palm readers to gather information about a 'client'. Many
'cold readers' are largely unaware of their abilities to read nonverbal
signals and so also become convinced that they really
must have 'psychic' abilities. This all adds to a convincing performance,
bolstered by the fact that people who regularly visit
'psychics' go with positive expectations of the outcome.
Throw in a set of tarot cards, a crystal ball or two and a bit of
theatre, and the stage is perfectly set for a body-languagereading
session that can convince even the most hardened
sceptic that strange, magical forces must be at work. It all boils
down to the reader's ability to decode a person's reactions to
statements made and to questions asked, and by information
gathered from simple observation about a person's appearance.
Most 'psychics' are female because, as women, as
discussed previously, they have the extra brain wiring to allow
them to read the body signals of babies and to read others'
emotional condition.
The fortune-teller gazed into her crystal ball and then
started laughing uncontrollably. So John punched her on the
nose. It was the first time he'd ever struck a happy medium.
To demonstrate the point, here now is a psychic reading for
you personally. Imagine you've come to a dimly lit, smokefilled
room where a jewel-encrusted psychic wearing a turban
is seated at a low, moon-shaped table with a crystal ball:
I'm glad you've come to this session and I can see you have
things that are troubling you because I am receiving strong
signals from you. I sense that the things you really want out
of life sometimes seem unrealistic and you often wonder
whether you can achieve them. I also sense that at times you
are friendly, social and outgoing to others, but that at other
times you are withdrawn, reserved and cautious. You take
pride in being an independent thinker but also know not to
accept what you see and hear from others, without proof. You
like change and variety but become restless if controlled by
restrictions and routine. You want to share your innermost
feelings with those closest to you but have found it unwise to
be too open and revealing. A man in your life with the initial
'S' is exerting a strong influence over you right now and a
woman who is born in November will contact you in the next
month with an exciting offer. While you appear disciplined
and controlled on the outside, you tend to be concerned and
worried on the inside and at times you wonder whether or not
you have made the right choice or decision.
So how did we go? Did we read you accurately? Studies show
that the information in this 'reading' is more than 80% accurate
for any person reading it. Throw in an excellent ability to
read body language postures, facial expressions and a person's
other twitches and movements, plus dim lighting, weird music
and a stick of incense, and we guarantee you can even amaze
the dog! We won't encourage you to become a fortune-teller
but you'll soon be able to read others as accurately as they do.