Despite being around for more than 100 years, Ouija boards (a wooden board covered with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, and the words “yes”, “no” and “goodbye”) continue to be a popular activity – especially around Halloween.
Participants must all place their hands on the planchette (or wooden pointer) and ask “spirits” for answers. The planchette can be moved around the board to show their responses.
It is a harmless game of parlor, but some people love it. Others swear to its ability to connect with others who have “gone to the other side”.
Although science indicates that ghosts don’t cause the mysterious movements of the board, the explanation behind their behavior is not as simple as you might think.
The history and evolution of the Ouija Board is complex. It could be traced partially back to the Fox SistersThese were the most popular media in the 19th Century. He was a pioneer in the spiritualism movement.
The most common method they used to communicate with spirit beings was to say the alphabet aloud, and then listen for a knock. They were able to communicate with the dead by using this method.
The public loved this idea, but it quickly became frustrating. People wanted to be able. Communicate with spirits quicklyThey were able communicate with others using new technologies such as the telephone. The Ouijaboard was developed in 1890. instant success.
Despite its popularity at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Ouija Board fell out favor. This was due in large part to the fact that many mediums who used it were publicly discredited.
Even the Society for Psychical Research Moved away From Spirit CommunicationYou can also look into paranormal phenomena like extra-sensory perception (the ability to send or receive information with your mind) as well as haunted homes.
However, spiritualism and Ouija boards were quickly revived. After the second world War – and continues to this day.
Ouija boards at work
Ouija boards are a good idea, but do they work? It depends on whom you ask. If you believe in communicating with spirits, then the answer is yes. Scientists and skeptics both agree that spirits don’t exist.
We hear often from “nonbelievers” that they feel the planchette moving across the board. They tell stories of people who have seen the planchette spell out words and then telling them things that no one else at the table could.
If it’s not ghostly messages from another side, then what is it?
One possibility is the The ideomotor effect. The term ideomotor is derived from the words ideo (an idea), and motor (muscular activity), which suggests that our movements can be influenced by ideo. Our thoughts drive us.
The ideomotor effect refers to movements people make that they’re unaware of – referred to as a subconscious movement. For example, someone might subconsciously move the Ouija board planchette to spell out certain things.
They may also be influenced by their subconscious movements, which could explain why the planchette appears independent.
This effect may explain a variety of other paranormal phenomena as well – including Automatic writing and dowsingA type of pseudoscience that uses a y shaped twig (or metal rods) to find the location buried objects like water or oil.
Another explanation is linked to the ideamotor effect is our sense of agency. Sense of agency is our subjective ability control actions that have an impact on external events. If you lift a table, it will cause it’s to move.
Ouija boards experiments have shown that we can manipulate our sense of agency, leading us to believe that Unseen third partyIs moving the planchette.
This may be due to problems in our brains with predicting the consequences of outcomes. We feel responsible when our predictions match the result (e.g., you lift the table and it moves),
However, if the end result isn’t what we expected, then we have a problem. Sensibility of agency declines – and it’s possible that, in the context of a seance, we may instead attribute this movement as coming from an external source.
Emotional contagion is another factor to be considered. We all know that witnesses can be drawn to shocking or highly emotional events. These emotions are “catching”. This was believed to be a major factor in the witch trials of Salem, Europe.
The excitement of a Ouijaboard with others may help us empathize more with our fellow users. This could lead us to pick up on our fear and anxiety, which may make it more likely that we believe the planchette is moving alone.
It’s possible then to see that a combination of factors – the ideomotor effect, a manipulated sense of agency, and emotional contagion – can all combine to convince people that the planchette is moving and spirits are speaking to them.
It is difficult to recreate the social setting where Ouija Boards are used in labs, so we cannot be sure that these factors will explain exactly what happens when we use the planchette to call upon the spirits to share their knowledge.
As Some experts point outAfter political and social upheaval, people are more inclined to want to communicate with the deceased.
Given the present social, economic, and political climate – including the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the cost-of-living crisis – it’s entirely possible that we will see a return to the seance rooms of the Victorian era. Or, at the very minimum, TikTok.
Megan KennySenior Lecturer in Psychological Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University
This article was republished by The ConversationUse the Creative Commons license Please read the Original article.
