Prompt Cast
The Mystery of Ouija Boards: How They Work and Their Origins
TLDR Ouija boards, originally used by mediums in the spiritualism movement, have become a popular game for entertainment and socializing. The movement of the planchette on a Ouija board is caused by unconscious muscle movements and can be influenced by the participants' common goal.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This podcast episode is about how Ouija boards work.
04:01
The Ouija board is a mass manufactured toy game based on a real phenomenon that originated in the 19th century spiritualist movement in America.
08:20
The Ouija board was originally used by mediums in the spiritualism movement, but it became a popular game for entertainment and socializing.
12:27
The design of the Ouija board has changed very little from its original creation, and it is used by having two or more people lightly resting their fingertips on the planchette, which moves along the board to answer questions or spell things out.
16:22
When using a Ouija board, it is important to concentrate, ask questions slowly and clearly, avoid scary questions, and always say goodbye to close the portal to the spirit world.
20:37
The movement of the planchette on a Ouija board is actually caused by an involuntary motion called idio motion, where the thoughts of the participants precede the movement and they are unaware that they are the ones moving it.
24:53
The movement of the planchette on a Ouija board is caused by idio motion, which is an unconscious movement that is controlled by the participants but they are unaware of it.
29:02
The movement of the planchette on a Ouija board is caused by unconscious muscle movements and can be influenced by the participants' common goal, as seen in real-life stories of people being influenced by Ouija board messages.
33:39
Ouija boards were banned in a town due to mass hysteria and a racist incident involving a British author, but you can test their legitimacy by blindfolding players and turning the board 90 degrees to get nonsensical answers, unless you actually get a sensible answer, in which case you may have unlocked the gate to the spirit world.
Categories:
Society & Culture
