Department of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
PeerJ. 2024 Apr 30;12:e17308. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17308. eCollection 2024.
Watching a magic trick is a unique experience in which seemingly impossible events appear possible but without any suspension of disbelief. Unfortunately, relatively little work has examined the psychological impact of this fascinating experience. In the current study, participants first completed a measure of the degree to which they disliked magic (Loathing of Legerdemain Scale: LOLS) and then watched a video that either contained a series of magic tricks (magic video) or carefully matched non-magic tricks (control video). Participants then rated the degree to which they experienced positive epistemic emotions (Epistemically Related Emotion Scale: ERES), their belief about impossible events being possible in the future (Modal Judgment Task: MJT), general optimism (State Optimism Measure: SOM) and subjective wellbeing (Satisfaction With Life Scale: SWLS). Compared to participants who watched the control video, those who saw the magic video reported more positive epistemic emotions on the ERES. There were no significant differences on the MJT, SOM and SWLS. Participants' LOLS scores were negatively correlated with the ERES, SOM and SWLS, suggesting that those who like magic are more likely to experience positive epistemic emotions, have higher levels of general optimism, and express greater satisfaction with their lives. These findings are discussed within the context of short-term and long-term exposure to magic, along with recommendations for future work.
观看魔术表演是一种独特的体验，其中看似不可能的事件似乎变得可能，但又不会让人产生怀疑。不幸的是，相对较少的工作研究了这种迷人体验的心理影响。在当前的研究中，参与者首先完成了一项衡量他们对魔术反感程度的测量（厌恶魔术量表：LOLS），然后观看了一段视频，其中包含一系列魔术（魔术视频）或精心匹配的非魔术（控制视频）。参与者随后评估了他们体验积极认知情绪的程度（认知相关情绪量表：ERES）、他们对未来不可能事件变得可能的信念（模态判断任务：MJT）、一般乐观程度（状态乐观度量表：SOM）和主观幸福感（生活满意度量表：SWLS）。与观看控制视频的参与者相比，观看魔术视频的参与者在 ERES 上报告了更多的积极认知情绪。在 MJT、SOM 和 SWLS 上没有显著差异。参与者的 LOLS 分数与 ERES、SOM 和 SWLS 呈负相关，这表明那些喜欢魔术的人更有可能体验到积极的认知情绪，具有更高水平的一般乐观情绪，并对自己的生活表达更大的满意。这些发现将在短期和长期接触魔术的背景下进行讨论，并提出了未来工作的建议。
