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‘It was my cousin’s birthday party. About twenty-five of us. The psychic mingled for abut twenty minutes and then he was seated in a chair and blindfolded. He couldn’t possibly have known who was going to be chosen.’
‘I’m assuming the subject was then seated opposite the psychic. About as far apart as we are now?’
Bryant nodded.
‘Cheap parlour trick, my friend. It’s all down to the shoes. He would have been looking down and recognised the shoes. Everything he needed to know was acquired in that twenty minutes of idle, harmless socialising. That’s when he would have been doing his best work.’
Bryant looked deflated, as though someone had just told him all the secrets of the Magic Circle.
‘There are some sure predictions for anyone. You’ll receive an important letter in the next few weeks. A lucky influence is coming your way. A sudden trip is in your future. A new and valuable acquaintance is coming into your life. Beware of insincere friends. Watch out for bad advice. You will hear from someone very unexpectedly. Stock in trade predictions.’
‘And the subject believes them?’ Kim asked.
Richard nodded. ‘The type of psychic you’re dealing with has a huge effect on believability.’
‘Type?’ Kim asked.
‘Oh yeah. Three main ones. You’ve got the compassionate healer. They’re empathetic, understanding and create a warm, cosy environment, self-help books, big comfy chairs, scented candles, soft lighting. It’s like entering a kingdom of kindness. They’re part mentor, part parent. A soft, comforting voice, gentle eye contact, agreeable smile. There will be flattery and they will be endearing.’
‘People don’t see through the act?’ Kim asked.
‘Not if the psychic is any good. The second type is the polar opposite. Straight shooting, no sugar-coating. They’re stern and serious. Good for people who like tough love. There’ll be no candles here. There’ll be psychic science books and framed diplomas. No niceties. It’s not a social visit. It’ll be a take it or leave it approach with an air of authority.’
‘People pay for that?’ Kim asked.
‘Of course. The subject feels as though they’re in strong and capable hands. Most of us will accept extreme forms of treatment if we believe it’s in our best interest. That ultimately the person is looking out for us. That’s why boot camps exist.
‘And finally, you have the middle-ground psychic who will mix tough love with compassion. There’ll be incense burning but any books on show will be neutral, like dictionaries. They will postulate solutions based on common sense using gentle truisms about human nature. They’ll identify with the client using compassion and empathy but also offer hard-hitting advice. They’ll use more humour than the other two.’
‘You mentioned that you kept your statement vague about Bryant’s musical instrument. So how do people believe if they’re so vague?’ Kim asked.
‘Because they want to believe. Did you notice how he gave me the information? I said instrument, he remembered guitar – that’s what psychics call a hit.’
‘What about a miss?’ Bryant asked.
‘Oh believe me, there are plenty of techniques for getting around those, but you’re not allowing for the Barnum effect.’
‘The what?’
‘It’s a technique for convincing people something is true when it’s not. You see, people tend to accept vague and general statements as unique to them. In 1947, Ross Stagner, a psychologist, gave a personality test to his students. He ignored the answers and presented them all with the same evaluation. He achieved an accuracy rating of 4.2 out of 5. The test has been repeated hundreds of times since and always achieves an eighty-four per cent accuracy rate. He actually used a newsstand astrology column.’
‘How is that possible?’ Bryant asked.
‘Because people tend to be vain and optimistic. Let’s look at a couple of typical Barnum statements: “when confronted with restrictions you feel upset and fearful” or “while you do have a few character weaknesses, your positive qualities more than compensate for them” or one of my favourites, “sometimes you question whether you made the right decision”.’
‘Don’t we all?’ Kim asked.
‘Exactly. Statements that are positive and flattering are easy to accept. Psychics trade in emotions. They bank on uncertainty and hope. Most subjects want to be comforted.’
Kim said nothing as she tried to process this level of gullibility.
‘I can see your doubt but clients that visit psychics do so because they already believe. They need solutions to their problems.
‘It’s all so carefully choreographed from the second the subject enters the space. There’ll be a warm greeting and an educated guess on the reason for the visit.
‘Again, this is based on statistics. Different age groups are worried about different things. But instead of choosing one thing they might say something like “I sense you’re here to talk about relationships or your job but I’m also sensing some grief”. People will hear what they want to hear and discard the rest. For someone worried about their boyfriend cheating, that would be a direct hit. The reading must seem specific but remain general. Cold reading in a nutshell is how to talk to people so they think you’re psychic. And of course, it’s well worth the effort perfecting the art.’
‘How so?’ Bryant asked.
