Ridiculous History

CLASSIC: When People Thought They Were Made of Glass

Dec 29, 2022
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INSIGHT

Widespread Historical Glass Delusion

  • The glass delusion was a recurring psychiatric condition where people believed their bodies were made of glass and would shatter.
  • It appeared across centuries and affected royalty like King Charles VI, showing cultural persistence rather than isolated oddity.
ANECDOTE

The Princess Who Swallowed A Piano

  • Princess Alexandra Amelie of Bavaria claimed swallowing a glass grand piano as a child made her fragile glass.
  • The hosts use this absurd example to illustrate how delusions tie to imagined physical causes.
INSIGHT

Technology Shaped Delusional Content

  • New technologies like clear glass influenced the content of delusions by appearing mystical to contemporaries.
  • Clinicians link the glass delusion to melancholia and existential fear about death and the soul.
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