The Psychology Behind Ouija Board
The Ouija board is a controversial topic for all generations. Many conspiracy theories are in the air. It is believed that the history of the Ouija board began in the late 19th century. In earlier times, the attempts to communicate with the spirits were at their peak. There are several tools and instruments to be claimed as the pioneers in communicating with the spirits. The 19th century remarked on the activities and discussions for communication with the spirits. Following these high-intensity discussions, in 1891 Elijah Bond took the patent for the Ouija board. Later, Bond, Charles Kennard, and William H.A. Maupin formed the Kennard Novelty Company at that time. This company was later named the Ouija Novelty Company. The name Ouija is derived from the French words “Oui” and “Ja” which mean "yes." The name was based on the concept that communication with the spirit will start with the answer "yes." The common belief is that in a normal communication, the spirit will start the communication with a "yes" and end with "goodbye,", but later, many incidents were reported indicating that there were some exceptions in the communication. The development of the Ouija board and the scientific explanation were still in doubt. This is due to the lack of evidence.
There are several factors to consider when considering the psychology of the Ouija board. The reality is that the Ouija Board is not yet considered a scientific one, but a large number of people have reported that they are able to communicate with the spirits with the help of the Ouija Board. First and foremost, the Ouija board became popular with the help of its portrayal in many novels, movies, and other media. This creates a positive impression in many of the audience; however, some people don’t believe and say that it was just a story and not real. But in the movies, it is claimed that this is based on a true story or on someone’s life experience. In many movies, it is portrayed that a professional who is an expert in spirituality will support the Ouija board. The movies also add some mysterious elements to activate curiosity in the viewers. Many people who experimented with the Ouija board were teenagers and young adults.
Ideomotor Effect of Ouija Board
The ideomotor effect is a phenomenon in which people make some involuntary movements in response to their strong existing beliefs or expectations; this creates an illusion of the spirit. Many psychologists suggest that the movement of the coin or planchette was due to this ideomotor effect. Many studies suggest that people will try to keep their beliefs by creating mental blocks to resist the attitude change. There are a lot of testimonials saying that the Ouija board will work only for people who take it seriously and are patient. This finding also correlated with the earlier findings of the ideomotor effect. In many cases, the person who is trying the Ouija board will most probably be looking for some kind of experience shared by other people on YouTube and other social media platforms. This shared experience creates the belief that it will work. The credibility of such videos is still doubtful, but people are generally looking for some other experiences too. If they find multiple people experiencing the movement of the Ouija board, they will be more convinced about its working. In some cases, people will report the movement of a coin or planchette even though they are not experiencing it to avoid the inferiority of not getting success in communicating with the spirit.
In some cases, not only the ideomotor effect but also some external factors will influence our beliefs. For example, if a person who is trying to communicate with the spirit experiences some kind of bodily change or reaction, it may actually result from the fear response or any other physical changes that are associated with this belief, but people will attribute it to the presence of the ghost or spirit. Similarly, if there is some blinking of the candle light or a strong wind during the initial stage, it will be considered the entry of the spirit. This phenomenon is called the placebo effect.
In short, the scientific evidence of the Ouija board is still in debate, there are some psychological effects related to the Ouija board. Mainly the ideomotor effect and the placebo effects are the main psychological reasons for experiencing the presence or communication with the spirit. Hopefully new technologies will come up with some ideas to unveil the truth behind the Ouija board.
Abdul Jaleel. C
Head, Department of Psychology
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