Believing In Magic

Believing in Magic

While we live in a technologically and scientifically advanced age, superstition is as widespread as ever. Not limited to just athletes and actors, superstitious beliefs are common among people of all occupations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs. Superstitions, he writes, are the natural result of several psychological processes, including our human sensitivity to coincidence, a penchant for developing rituals to fill time (to battle nerves, impatience, or both), our efforts to cope with uncertainty, the need for control, and more. In a new Introduction, Vyse discusses important developments and the latest research on jinxes, paranormal beliefs, and luck. He also distinguishes superstition from paranormal and religious beliefs and identifies the potential benefits of superstition for believers. He examines the research to demonstrate how we can better understand complex human behavior. Although superstition is a normal part of our culture, Vyse argues that we must provide alternative methods of coping with life's uncertainties by teaching decision analysis, promoting science education, and challenging ourselves to critically evaluate the sources of our beliefs.

Believing in Magic

The Magic of Believing

This inspirational masterpiece reveals how faith and belief are the keys to success – as a special bonus it includes the author’s classic on unlocking the prospering powers of your mind, TNT: It Rocks the Earth. As if by magic, some people know how to make wishes come true. In this classic exploration of mental visualization and autosuggestion, journalist and businessman Claude M. Bristol discloses the secret of turning belief into success. Bristol learned early in life that if he clearly visualized his goals, and strongly believed in them, he would attain them. Since its first appearance in 1948, The Magic of Believing has persuaded millions of the literal truth of the Biblical text: “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” This volume also includes Bristol’s first book, TNT: It Rocks the Earth (1932), a concise guide to harnessing your mental dynamite.