I bought a ouija board and.......?

Question

it works when me and my sis play, but when me and my friend play it doesnt work. Why is that?

Answer 1

I endorse wondt's answer. The 'paranormal' has been endlessly studied by scientists and nothing, but *nothing*, has come close to proving anything remotely paranormal. The game is designed to make use of *autosuggestion*; anyone ignorant of this concept will naturally be amazed by the APPARENTLY inexplicable things that happen with the board. This is, in principle, no different from being amazed by a magician because you are unaware of how a trick is performed; yet the trick remains *just* a trick - no magic is *really* occurring!

As wondt has implied, it is true that different people differ in their predisposition to autosuggestion, just as some people are more susceptible than others to being hypnotised . This would naturally explain why the game doesn't work between you and your friend - his/her inclination against autosuggestability *counteracts* YOUR autosuggestability, whereas your sister, being as prone to autosuggestion as you are (probably as a result of being raised similarly to yourself), works in *harmony* with you - making strange things appear to happen.

I will add a word of caution to you: *Despite* the lack of evidence for paranormal phenomena, a huge number of people can attest to a *potential* for severe mental trauma to result in certain individuals who play with a ouija board. This phenomenon should NOT be taken lightly. By the same principle that flashing images can be potentially dangerous to those who are susceptible to epileptic seizures, autosuggestability makes some people particularly vulnerable to the lies of those who PROFIT from the belief in the paranormal. These people exploit these vulnerable individuals; rather than take a step *back* from providing a harmless entertainment with *fun* as the agenda, as a magician would do if, in pretending to saw a woman in half, someone appeared to believe it was real and began to get hysterical with fear, these exploiters *encourage* the fear, claiming demonic possession and such, with *profit* as their agenda.

In a culture that also endorses open-mindedness, suggestible people tend to be the very ones 'willing to experiment', proudly proclaiming themselves as being 'open to *all* possibilities'; in other words, these people actually *set themselves up to be knocked down* by the conmen, and if they have a nervous breakdown in the process, all the better!

So, for your own good, I recommend you acknowledge the expertise of psychologists, accept your own predisposition to autosuggestibility, and either cease to 'play with fire' or view the ouija phenomenon entirely as a well-understood TRICK for amusement only.

Answer 2

First... there is nothing mystical about Ouija boards. They work on subconscious behavior of the players, a perfectly normal and well understood phenomena. There is plenty of evidence that if the players don't know the answer to the question then the answer they get is usually wrong, or its no better than chance.

There are two possible reasons I can think of for why it doesn't 'work' with your friend, and does with your sister. Possibility 1, your sister is more prone to the subconscious behaviors, and she is guiding the pointer. Possibility 2, you are guiding the pointer (subconsciously), and your sister is more prone to follow your subtle movements than is your friend.

Answer 3

Ouija is a magical thinking game.
Ouija is pretty much a fantasy game.

Answer 4

it probly wont work with ur friends bcuz in order for it to work you need everyone who is playing it to be true believers in the paranormal. also be careful some scary **** happens with ouija boards....dont ask if you play long enough you will see...

Answer 5

Magic!

Answer 6

your friend doesnt probably believe in the paranormal and for that nothing happens when he's around that could be a possible solution!!!