The prize for proving the existence of anything supernatural or spiritual is gargantuan, and the human fascination with anything other worldly is undying. This is exactly why people from all over the world will pay large sums of money to visit so-called ‘psychics’ and get a glimpse into spirituality.

Unfortunately, a lot of these people who claim to have psychic powers are in fact just incredibly good at reading body language, acting, and mathematical probability. They use their ability to read body language to make a few assumptions about their customer, and then calculate to see which one has the highest probability of being relevant to that person. Then the acting comes in, where they deliver the line which is going to have some significance and watch subtly for signs of recognition. Usually the customer will respond with a nod, smile or look of astonishment when their lives are so ‘accurately’ read. From this, further assumptions are made - for instance, if they guessed correctly that a grandparent has just died then what did they likely die of? Heart disease is the biggest killer in the western world so we’ll go with that.

Another hugely significant part of cold reading is the type of statements which are made. Also known as ‘truisms’, which you might see in horoscopes, these statements are applicable to just about everyone, but each person can derive a personal detail from it. For example a statement like ‘a male figure in your life, perhaps a grandfather, uncle, stepfather, brother who has passed away would like to tell you that they are deeply sorry for your differences and that they are proud of you’ will be relevant to a great range of people. This technique is particularly effective in large audiences and is often preceded with a sentence like ‘who has a photograph stashed away in their house? It related to a male relative’. If the psychic is very believable or has a lot of charisma then they’re onto a winner as that statement relates to everyone and they’re already putty in his/her hands.

The trick with cold reading is to find a suggestion niche which holds significance for everyone, but to deliver it in such a way as to make the individual think that they alone are the target. From there on it is reading body language, poking for clues and jumping to conclusions which win the points. These professionals have got the art of psychology down to a tee, and have figured out exactly how people’s minds work when they are asked a question.

Cold readers are masters of persuasion, acting, guess work and mathematical probability. They use these qualities to manipulate the minds of their customers, making them think that everything they hear is directly relevant to them. While it’s widely accepted that cold reading for a profit and under false pretences is wrong, it is also seen as an art - and quite rightly so! These people have tapped into how the human brain works and how to read a thought process, and this is something that should be brought into a scientific light for examination.