As you were, I was
Here is a copy and paste from the SNF that I think does a good job describing the Ouija board.
What it is:
Ouija Board, sometimes called a Spirit Board or a Talking Board. It's a board with an alphabet printed on it to allow whatever spirits believed to communicate with it to dictate their messages. It uses a small instrument called a Planchette that the human participants use to channel the spirit's words onto the board.
Why it's bullshit:
The board functions on a mental process called an Ideomotor Effect which refers to the influence of suggestion or expectation on involuntary and unconscious motor behavior. The movement of pointers on Ouija boards, of a facilitator's hands in facilitated communication, of hands and arms in applied Kinesiology, and of some behaviors attributed to hypnotic suggestion, are due to ideomotor action. When several participants are pushing on the planchette at once, the force applied to it is jumbled, and since they are not instructed to observe or control the delicate output of their force on the planchette, it can be subject to sudden and somewhat odd movements, which to a kid playing the game, are percieved to be spooky spirits trying to say hello by pointing to the letters. In reality, the choices of the letters are somewhat random, and another mental process called pareidolia comes into play, making the players think the random letter suggestions actually mean something mystical and meaningful.
Example: In 2000, a blind study of 10 random calls using a Ouija board were recorded with a small pivot over the planchette, allowing the users to visually observe which direction the applied force was coming from. The planchette was moved by the force of the players pushing upon it, as the pivot moved according to the almost random nudges several players were pushing upon it.
Conclusion: The board, letters, planchette, and method of using it are all components of a clever, entertaining, but entirely explainable parlor game played for centuries and sold to children ages 6 and up by Milton Bradley.
More information.
Tl;dr: Ouija boards are bullshit. The fact that you bought one from a store is practically proof.
Further proof:
{Penn&Teller: Bullshit Ouija Board Episode part 1}
Penn&Teller: Bullshit Ouija Board Episode part 2}
What it is:
Ouija Board, sometimes called a Spirit Board or a Talking Board. It's a board with an alphabet printed on it to allow whatever spirits believed to communicate with it to dictate their messages. It uses a small instrument called a Planchette that the human participants use to channel the spirit's words onto the board.
Why it's bullshit:
The board functions on a mental process called an Ideomotor Effect which refers to the influence of suggestion or expectation on involuntary and unconscious motor behavior. The movement of pointers on Ouija boards, of a facilitator's hands in facilitated communication, of hands and arms in applied Kinesiology, and of some behaviors attributed to hypnotic suggestion, are due to ideomotor action. When several participants are pushing on the planchette at once, the force applied to it is jumbled, and since they are not instructed to observe or control the delicate output of their force on the planchette, it can be subject to sudden and somewhat odd movements, which to a kid playing the game, are percieved to be spooky spirits trying to say hello by pointing to the letters. In reality, the choices of the letters are somewhat random, and another mental process called pareidolia comes into play, making the players think the random letter suggestions actually mean something mystical and meaningful.
Example: In 2000, a blind study of 10 random calls using a Ouija board were recorded with a small pivot over the planchette, allowing the users to visually observe which direction the applied force was coming from. The planchette was moved by the force of the players pushing upon it, as the pivot moved according to the almost random nudges several players were pushing upon it.
Conclusion: The board, letters, planchette, and method of using it are all components of a clever, entertaining, but entirely explainable parlor game played for centuries and sold to children ages 6 and up by Milton Bradley.
More information.
Tl;dr: Ouija boards are bullshit. The fact that you bought one from a store is practically proof.
Further proof:
{Penn&Teller: Bullshit Ouija Board Episode part 1}
Penn&Teller: Bullshit Ouija Board Episode part 2}
As I am, you will be
