The Science Of Spoon Bending
Bending metal objects has long been a favorite pastime of people with alleged psychic ability. The claim is that it is possible to exercise your mind power in such a way as to influence the molecular structure of a metal object such as a key.
Stage magicians seem to have no problem with duplicating the psychic feats of spoon and key benders. Apparently you can bend a key in a way that is not obvious to onlookers, and of course magicians are adept at switching unbent spoons and keys for bent or pre-weakened ones.
I recently read about a demonstration of key bending that was recorded on video and played to two groups of experiment participants. One group watched the key being put on a table and heard the key-bender say that the key would keep bending. The other group did not hear that the key would continue to bend.
When asked whether they witnessed the key continuing to bend, a large number of the group who heard the magician say that the key would keep bending say that they saw it bending.
The significant result of experiments like these is that even eye-witness testimony can be affected by suggestion.
If you search YouTube you will find lots of people bending spoons but this video featuring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry showcases the psychic’s determination to stay cool under pressure: