SimSAARlabim study - The role magic tricks play in reducing pain and stress in children

BACKGROUND

Vaccination is an essential preventative medical intervention, but needle fearandinjection painmay result in vaccination hesistancy.

STUDY PURPOSE

To assess the role of magic tricks - no trick vs. one trick ("disappearing handkerchief trick") vs. three tricks ("disappearing handkerchief trick", "jumping rubber band trick", and "disappearing ring trick") - performed by a professional magician and pediatrician during routine vaccination in reducing discomfort/pain and the stress response (heart rate, visual analogue scale (VAS), and biomarkers (cortisol, Immunoglobulin A (IgA), α-amylase, and overall protein concentration in saliva before and after vaccination).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) in healthy children aged 6-11 years undergoing routine vaccination in an outpatient setting.

RESULTS

50 children (26 female) were enrolled (no trick: n = 17, 1 trick: n = 16, 3 tricks: n = 17) with a median age of 6.9 years (range: 5.3-10.8 years). We detected no significant differences among the three groups in their stress reponse (heart rate before and after vaccination and cortisol, IgA, α-amylase, and overall protein concentrations in saliva before and after vaccination) or regarding pain assessment using the VAS.

CONCLUSIONS

Although children undergoing routine outpatient vaccination appeared to enjoy a magician's presence, the concomitant performance of magic tricks revealed no significant effect on the stress response.

Too perfect to be good? An investigation of magicians' Too Perfect Theory

The "Too Perfect Theory" states that if a trick is too perfect, it might paradoxically become less impressive, or give away its secret method. This theory suggests that an increased impossibility results in a less magical effect. The Too Perfect Theory is often applied to magic effects, but it conflicts with recent scientific investigations showing that participants' level of enjoyment of a magic performance is positively related to their perceived impossibility of the trick. The current article investigated whether an imperfect magic performance is more impressive than a perfect one. Across two experiments, we studied whether participants enjoy a performance more if the effect is not perfect. We also examined the different types of explanations people give to these two types of performances. The results showed that participants enjoyed a perfect performance more than an imperfect one. However, consistently with the Too Perfect Theory, participants watching the perfect performance also discovered the correct method behind the magic trick more frequently and believed the performance was staged more often. Moreover, participants' method explanation significantly impacted their reports about the performance.

The 'magic' of magic camp from the perspective of children with hemiparesis

Previous studies have examined the quantitative results of using an organized approach of teaching and learning magic tricks—a therapeutic magic camp—but set aside the qualitative aspect. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the interpretation of the lived experience of children with hemiparesis after they have participated in a therapeutic magic camp. Six children, aged between 11 and 14 years old, with hemiparesis who completed the magic camp program 3 months prior were invited to participate in an in-person individual semistructured interview. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for content analysis. Results from the initial qualitative analysis yielded categories of enjoyment, positive social and learning experience from participation in the camp, increased confidence, and self-motivation to use the affected upper limb. These categories were grouped into two themes: “having fun with others while learning” and “helping my arm perform.” Having fun with others while learning was an amalgamation of fun, and positive social and learning experience. Helping my arm perform reflected a sense of increased competence and self-belief, and a willingness and motivation of the children to attempt challenging daily activities. The lived experiences of children with hemiplegia who participated in an organized delivery of learning to perform magic tricks yield-ed positive outcomes. These themes are consistent with the limited literature that is available suggesting that further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of the therapeutic magic camp intervention.

The apparent action causation: Using a magician forcing technique to investigate our illusory sense of agency over the outcome of our choices

We often fall victim of an illusory sense of control and agency over our thoughts and actions. Magicians are masters at exploiting these illusions, and forcing techniques provide a powerful way to study apparent action causation-the illusion that our action caused the outcome we get. In this article, we used the Criss-Cross force to study whether people can tell the difference between an action which had an impact on the outcome they get and one which has no impact. In the Criss-Cross force, participants are asked to cut to a card, and while they are genuinely free to cut the cards at any position, the cut does not affect the card they are given (i.e., they always get the top card). We investigate the psychological processes that underpin the success of this force. Experiment 1 (N = 60) showed that participants cannot tell the difference between a forced and a controlled outcome. Experiment 2 (N = 90) showed that contrary to common magicians' knowledge, misdirection does not play a role in the success of the force. Finally, Experiment 3 (N = 60) suggests that rather than misdirection, an attribute substitution error explains why people fail to understand that their action does not have an impact on the outcome they get. Debriefing also shows the importance of participants' expectations in the perception of the trick, as well as the role of prediction of the outcome in participants' sense of agency over the events.

Achieving the impossible: a review of magic-based interventions and their effects on wellbeing

Research has demonstrated that involvement with mainstream performing arts, such as music and dance, can boost wellbeing. This article extends this work by reviewing little-known research on whether learning magic tricks can have an equally beneficial effect. We first present an historic overview of several magic-based interventions created by magicians, psychologists and occupational therapists. We then identify the potential benefits of such interventions, and review studies that have attempted to systematically assess these interventions. The studies have mostly revealed beneficial outcomes, but much of the work is of poor methodological quality (involving small numbers of participants and no control group), and has tended to focus on clinical populations. Finally, we present guidelines for future research in the area, emphasizing the need for more systematic and better-controlled studies.