Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there

Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there by Professor Richard Wiseman"Paranormality" is an interesting book about supernatural science. Professor Wiseman in an entertaining and engaging manner takes us on a fun journey of debunking popular paranormal phenomena. This 342-page book is composed of the following seven chapters: 1. Fortune-telling, 2. Out-of-body experiences, Mind over matter, 4. Talking with the dead, Intermission, 5. Ghost Hunting, 6. Mind control, and 7. Prophesy.Positives:1. The fascinating topic of the paranormal.2. Very engaging and conversational prose with a touch of humor to boot.3. Well researched, and one of the most interactive books ever written. The author makes generous use of interactive tags better known as QR tags to link to additional content.4. Very good format. The author provides plenty of great examples and finishes each chapter with a hands-on application section.5. A look at the world of mediums and psychics. What psychic reading is all about.6. How selective memory affects our beliefs.7. Interesting tidbits throughout the book, "Your personality is, to some extent written all over your face".8. The chapter on Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) was my favorite. Fascinating legends put to rest and one of the best explanations for OBEs.9. The sense of where you are and how the brain figures that out.10. Telepathy...another phenomenon bites the dust.11. The principles of psychic deception.12. "Spiritualism" and its origins.13. Thought-provoking science, "Your brain appears to make a decision before you are conscious of it".14. The ideomotor action...15. A unique and fair take on Persinger's theory until...16. The power of suggestion and "Hypersensitive Agency Detection Device" to explain ghostly experiences.17. What the scientific evidence says about hypnosis.18. The appalling case of Jim Jones and The People's Temple and the impact of psychology of conformity.19. How not to be brainwashed. This should probably be taught in schools everywhere.20. The science of sleep.21. Wegner's "rebound effect."22. The fascinating case of Charles Lindbergh and how it relates to dream premonitions.23. A great explanation of why dreams are necessary.24. Great Appendix.25. Links worked great and then some.26. Great Kindle value.Negatives:1. The book to my surprise, had a couple of misspells and repeated words. Not enough to detract from the entertainment value.2. This book is not an in-depth look at the paranormal, but it will whet your appetite for more.In summary, this was a fun and informative book. The engaging and upbeat style of the author combined with a fascinating topic is a fine recipe for an enjoyable read. It will also provide you some wonderful party tricks so that you can amuse your friends. Have fun and pick up a copy. A solid recommendation.Further suggestions: "The Believing Brain..." and "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer, "Scientific Paranormal Investigations" by Benjamin Radford, "Human" by Michael S. Gazzaniga, "SuperSense" by Bruce M. Hood, and "The Belief Instinct" by Jesse Bering.

What's great about this book is that although Wiseman absolutely does not believe in the paranormal, he isn't preachy about it. He simply describes how various truth seekers have debunked palm readers, ghost hunters, fortune tellers and spoon benders. He gives us the secrets that magicians and charlatans use. It all makes sense and I'm prepared to totally disbelieve paranormality, until I realized that you can look at the evidence he presents just as skeptically as he looks at the evidence for paranormal activity. Take table turning. Sure I can believe the Ouiga Board works on the ideomotor principles, but can a table pin a person against the wall so violently with this method? I find it hard to believe. Information seems to be missing. I need more proof or a better explanation.If you are already a skeptic, everything here makes sense and you nod easily. But if you are a true believer, you may find some holes in the theories. You'll demand more rigorous evidence.That's all fine. For me the best thing about the book is his fascinating anecdotes, the stories of the people that witnessed paranormal activity or were in some way psychic. It's great reading. Wiseman draws us in to the truth behind the fiction the same way ghost stories draw us in by their strangeness. And the truth is stranger than the fiction here. The psychological analysis behind the willingness to believe may or may not be accurate, but it, too, is interesting as all get out.For those who believe the loss of superstition leads to a boring world, Wiseman says "To believe that the findings of supernatural science remove wonder from the world is to fail to see the remarkable events that surround us every day of our lives. And, unlike those who appear to talk with the dead or move objects with the power of their minds, these amazing phenomena are genuine."There's so much in the world and we know very little about most of it, why do we need the supernatural? Wiseman has theories about that and it's fun to read them.

Interesting book! The author gives loads of interesting examples of apparent paranormality and goes through lots of mind tricks.HOWEVERAt the start of the book he has put an Ink Blot test image. He asks you to look at it and to remember what you think it looks like. In the last chapter he re - visits the Ink Blot, but crucially NEVER TELLS YOU WTF IT IS MEANT TO BE! It is killing me! Richard. Mate. What is the ink blot?

Good book on a fascinating subject. I might have preferred more depth but it's an entertaining read.It's about our psychology - how we can be manipulated - not only by clever, deliberate tricksters, but by OURSELVES, into seeing some events as paranormal when they are merely odd.I'm not sure it does a thorough enough job of debunking "The Paranormal" to count as hard science - one "case study" on each topic might not be enough for a scientist, but it should at least help people realise WHEN they are being tricked, in some cases. That said, it's a nice book to leave around when my New Age sister or fundamentalist friends come to visit.Entertaining and well written.

Rather like Richard Dawkins, the author often succumbs to the temptation to tee up the glaringly obvious as a revelation...

There really isn't much I can add at this late date to the many highly intelligent and well-written contributions already here (silence, the wag who asked "well, why not add to the silly ones then?"!).But I will say the story of ghost-hunting at Hampton Court Palace was damn nearly worth the price of the book on its own.Thank you, Prof Wiseman!Douglas

Very good, also shows where popular scientific theories about the paranormal were debunked, and replaced by better non paranormal explanations, also a great read.