Exploring Population Stereotypes Through a Mental Experiment

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This chapter features an auditory experiment designed to reveal how people's choices tend to cluster around specific numbers, particularly highlighting the number seven. It uncovers the statistical and cognitive reasons behind these patterns, debunking the notion of psychic ability.

The psychologist Chris French has spent decades studying paranormal claims and mysterious experiences, from seemingly impossible coincidences to paintings that purportedly predict the future. In this episode from April 2024, Ian Sample sits down with French to explore why so many of us believe in what he terms ‘weird shit’, and what we can learn from understanding why we are drawn to mysterious and mystic phenomena. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod