Not Just a Trick: A survey study exploring how ‘exposing’ exhibition visitors to science of magic concepts impacts their appreciation of magic

The recent rise in scientific research on magic raises important issues about the impact that the dissemination of magic knowledge has on people’s appreciation of magic.
Deception, secrecy, and mystery are inexorably intertwined with the idea of performance magic. Magicians traditionally do not reveal their secret methods to non-magicians. This study used a survey to assess how people’s appreciation of magic was impacted by a magic exhibition designed to highlight and reveal the psychological mechanisms that underpin magic. Visitors to the exhibition were asked to rate the impact of the exhibition on a range of measures assessing people’s interest and appreciation for magic. The results revealed significant positive impacts across multiple dimensions. We also conducted a qualitative analysis on people’s self-reports about things that they like and dislike about magic as well as the impact that scientific explanations have on people’s appreciation for magic. Despite magicians’ traditional fear that revelations related to magic secretes might rob magic audiences of their sense of wonder, our results indicate that an engaging exhibition about the science that underpins some magical experiences can actually enhance peoples’ stated appreciation of magic.