The genius of Teller – Richard Wiseman

Welcome to another blog post and many thanks for your kind comments on my previous post. At CSICON I had the pleasure of interviewing Penn & Teller about their work. I am a huge fan and believe that they have created some of the world’s greatest magic. I have known Teller for many years, and in this post, I want to look at a great technique that he uses to generate a sense of joy.

In 59 Seconds , I wrote about the power of gratitude. As I explain in this video, we all have something positive in our lives, such as great friends, good health, a nice job or a fun hobby.  As time goes on, we get used to what we have, and it slowly fades from our mind. To prevent this happening, I came up with a simple exercise based around this research. Just before you go to bed, briefly write down one thing in your life for which you have a sense of gratitude, or the best thing that’s happened to you during the last day. This technique is designed to boost wellbeing by reminding you of the good things in your life.

In one of Penn & Teller’s theater programmes, Teller described a secret ritual that he often carries out after a show. On the way back to his dressing room he allows himself to wonder whether he will leave his theater that night and not perform the show again. Not surprisingly, this thought fills him with intense sadness. Then, a few moments later he reminds himself that that moment hasn’t come, and he experiences a wonderful sense of joy. Teller invites readers to think about an aspect of their lives that they love, and to imagine that at some point in the future that part of their life no longer exists. Finally, they are asked to remind themselves that right now they can still enjoy what they have (at least for the moment!).

Teller’s technique is a wonderful way of eliciting a sense of gratitude, living in the moment, and valuing what we have. It is a version of an idea called ‘mental subtraction’, and research suggests that it is a highly effective way of boosting wellbeing. I have never seen Teller’s technique in the psychological literature, but it would make the basis of a wonderful study.  Oh, here is the great man performing his iconic routine, Shadows.

And if you want to see Penn & Teller live (please do!), then check out their show and tour here. 

See you next time!