The Psychology of Magic Tricks

Magic tricks exploit our cognitive processes, such as attentional misdirection and memory misdirection, to create illusions. Magicians use these techniques to manipulate what we see, what we remember, and even our reasoning. The cognitive conflict between what we believe to be possible and what we experience is at the core of magic. Studying magic tricks can help us understand the biases and limitations of human perception and decision making. It can also teach us skills such as focus, practice, and performance.