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Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there Paperback – August 17, 2011

by Richard Wiseman (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 388 ratings
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Professor Richard Wiseman is clear about one thing: paranormal phenomena don't exist. But in the same way that the science of space travel transforms our everyday lives, so research into telepathy, fortune-telling and out-of-body experiences produces remarkable insights into our brains, behaviour and beliefs. Paranormality embarks on a wild ghost chase into this new science of the supernatural and is packed with activities that allow you to experience the impossible. So throw away your crystals, ditch your lucky charms and cancel your subscription to Reincarnation Weekly. It is time to discover the real secrets of the paranormal. Learn how to control your dreams -- and leave your body behind Convince complete strangers that you know all about them Unleash the power of your unconscious mind
Previous page
  1. Print length
    198 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    August 17, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.45 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0956875653
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0956875655
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spin Solutions Ltd; 50652nd edition (August 17, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0956875653
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0956875655
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.45 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 388 ratings

About the author

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Richard Wiseman

Richard Wiseman

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Richard Wiseman is Britain's only professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology and has an international reputation for his research into unusual areas including deception, luck, humour and the paranormal. He is the psychologist most frequently quoted by the British media and his research has been featured on over 150 television programmes in the UK. He is regularly heard on Radio 4 and feature articles about his work have appeared prominently throughout the national press.

Photo by BDEngler (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
388 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Book Shark
5.0 out of 5 stars A Natural Review
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2011
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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.
12 people found this helpful
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Jim Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, engaging, and informative
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2012
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I came across this book after listening to Wiseman on the "Monster Talk" podcast. He came across as engaging, witty, and very informative so I thought I would give the book he was promoting a try. I'm glad I did.

Like other skeptical books on the paranormal (in this book only what would be called the "psi" portion of that field) Wiseman points out that there is no widely accepted evidence to support the existence of psi phenomenon. Unlike other books I've read this is only the starting point for Wiseman. Wiseman describes in some detail the psychology and physiology of how the brain works and how and why it can be fooled. It is also fascinating when Wiseman touches on the reasons why the brain may have evolved in such a manner. It was utterly fascinating to learn that the psychology of out of body experiences, for example. Much of this was entirely new to me.

Throughout the book Wiseman has numerous "reader participation" exercises and lessons. These are usually interesting enough even if one doesn't have the proper equipment or people on hand to try them out.

Wiseman is as engaging a writer as he is a speaker. His sense of humor is in fine form and he seems to be having a wonderful time. I sure was.

If one is reading the Kindle edition (like I did) and has a tablet I would recommend reading on the tablet instead of a Kindle proper. Wiseman has links to several videos and audio interviews scattered throughout the book. The tablet makes these easy to jump to. In addition the book has numerous photos and tablets render these better than Kindles. The videos are quite short and reinforce the text nicely. The interviews can be quite lengthy. The only one I would consider "must listen" material is Sue Blackmore describing her out of body experience.

The book is nicely referenced with linked notes. The only quibble I have is that the Kindle for iPad application does not have chapters marked out on the progress bar but that's not the fault of the book.

Highly recommended. Popular science doesn't get much better.
6 people found this helpful
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Julia Flyte
4.0 out of 5 stars The truth is out there
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2011
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As Richard Wiseman explains in the introduction, this is an investigation into the psychology behind people's beliefs about the supernatural. For example, why do people believe that dreams can predict the future, that they can communicate with the dead or that tarot cards can predict their destiny? Written in his usual entertaining style, it's highly readable and not at all scholarly. In short, Wiseman believes that there is a scientific explanation for all supernatural phenomena. He exposes many of the tricks (conscious and unconscious) that allow us to suspend our disbelief, using research studies and anecdotes to illustrate his points.

Reading this book is a participatory experience with a number of experiments and party tricks you can conduct on yourself or your friends as you go along. Weblinks are also given to allow you to view video footage of experiments.

This is a less "quirky" read than his last couple of books, but it does offer many interesting tips such as:
- How to fool people that you have psychic abilities
- How to induce an out of body experience
- How to impress your friends by appearing to bend a spoon
- How to significantly increase your chances of dreaming about somebody
- What to do if you feel you're being attacked by a ghost in bed at night
- How cults indoctrinate people and how to avoid being brainwashed.

I read this book on my Kindle and it wasn't optimal in that format. While all photographs are included, their placement doesn't match the text and there is a table included at one point which lost all of its formatting.

The chapter list indicates the subjects covered in the book:
1. Fortune Telling
2. Out of Body Experiences
3. Mind over Matter
4. Talking with the Dead
5. Ghost Hunting
6. Mind Control
7. Prophecy
89 people found this helpful
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GingerSnap
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
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Interesting to read!
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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2017
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I would recommend this as a primer on psychological phenomena misinterpreted as supernatural. Any budding skeptic would find it excellent and fun reading.
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freethinker
5.0 out of 5 stars paranormal explined
Reviewed in Spain on August 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Finally, the ultimate answer to the paranormal stuff. Didactic, fun, irreverent. A must for any paranormal lover or not....Check it out
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Bharat Patil
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on December 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
good read to wash out our blind & false believes in superstecious & godly things
One person found this helpful
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Mat65
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in France on December 7, 2013
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Wiseman knows how to captivate a reader. Very hard to put down this great book! Just ordered some more of his books...
One person found this helpful
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Non-Materialist
1.0 out of 5 stars We know many books of this kind, starting with one by Carl Sagan
Reviewed in Japan on May 13, 2016
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I recently knew this book from Wikipedia.
I give one star to this book because Professor Wiseman, the author, failed to do his homework.
I wrote the following letter to the author:
-------------
6 May 2016
Mr. Richard Wiseman
Professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology
at the University of Hertfordshire

c/o Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road,
London N1 9RR,
United Kingdom

Subject: A possible aid to your study on “Paranormality” after reading pp. 63—65 [referring to Duncan MacDougall’s “Weighting the Soul Experiment”] of your book Paranormality: The Science of the Supernatural, Pan Books, 2011.

Dear Professor Wiseman:
The following technical paper (a pdf-copy included in the attached CD for your convenience) might be an aid to your study on “Paranormality.”

Ishida, M., “Rebuttal to claimed refutations of Duncan MacDougall’s experiment on human weight change at the moment of death.” Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 24, No.1, pp. 5 - 39, 2010.
[This reference will be available free from the website of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, since it’s six years after the publication.]

Sincerely,
(Mr.) Masayoshi Ishida
(Signed)
[Address deleted.]
-------------

If you read the above-cited reference, you understand what I mean. However, I can be a little specific about the failure of the author’s homework on the subject of “Weighting the Soul Experiment.”
(1) The “21 g” is not an average of MacDougall’s six experimental subjects’ data; The 21 g (i.e., three-fourths of an ounce) is the result of the 1st subject. MacDougall reported only four (out of six) human cases of his experiment as being experimentally valid. A simple average of the four missing [i.e., unexplained loss of] weights in a few seconds is 15.0 g; An average of missing weight until the end of experiment is 30.0 g.
Hence, Professor Wiseman failed to do his homework, that is, he has not read MacDougall’s 1907 paper, which he cited in his book.
(2) The author affirmatively refers to MacDougall’s fellow physician Augustus P. Clarke’s criticism against the experimental results (p. 64). (Clarke’s claim was published in the letters column of the then prestigious journal, American Medicine in 1907.) Clarke’s argument started with effectively saying that “there is a sudden rise in body temperature due to the lungs no longer cooling the blood.”
However, if a physicist or a physiologist with an average understanding of physics reads Clarke’s reasoning, he/she is sure to conclude that Clarke’s argument is wrong in two points: (a) sudden rise in a just-dead-body temperature, (b) evaporation of the 21 g of sweat from clothing-covered-dead-body surface in a few seconds. Temperature of any part of just-dead body always decreases because heat generation in the body ceases but heat removal from the body continues after death, and this is enough to refute Clarke’s claim.
You can test Clarke’s claim by stopping your breath for a few seconds or ten seconds; do you sweat 21 g of moisture on your body surface??　You may say “No, because I am still alive!” Yes, you are still alive and generating heat to sweat more than when you are dead!
Hence, Professor Wiseman failed again to do his homework.

The editor(s) of Wikipedia for MacDougall’s study also has been failing to do his homework so far. The author might have done well his homework except in the case of MacDougall’s study.
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