Magicians less prone to mental illness as compared to other artists, suggests study

Be it actors, singers or comedians, several artists all over the world have opened up about their struggles with mental health issues.

But as per a new study, out of all the creative communities in the world, magicians are exempted from the inner turmoil which most artists experience in their lifetime.

The research led by Aberystwyth University's psychology department attributed this to the level of difficulty scale of the several tricks performed by them.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Published in the journal BJPsych Open, the study measured the psychological traits of nearly 200 magicians and compared the results with the data received from other creative groups.

It found that the three pivotal measures of psychosis, delusions are less likely to occur in magicians than in artists, musicians and comedians.

They are also less likely to have hallucinations that mainly make it hard for people to focus.

Association between creativity and psychopathology

Gil Greengross from Aberystwyth University, who led the study, said that this was the very first time a research was conducted to demonstrate an artistic group with lower scores on psychotic traits than the general population.

“Our research shows that magicians do not exhibit higher levels of mental disorders. The results demonstrate that the association between creativity and psychopathology is more complex than previously thought,” he said.

“This trait is valuable for many creative groups such as writers, poets and comedians whose acts are often edgy and challenge conventional wisdom. Magicians can be equally innovative and push the limits. However, many magicians perform familiar tricks or variations of them without feeling the need to innovate,” he added.

He then said that the main factor that distinguishes magicians from a majority of other performing artists is the precision that is required in their performances.

"Compared to other performers, it is more difficult to overcome errors - magic tricks largely being 'all or nothing' acts that culminate in an 'Aha' moment of surprise and awe."

"Failed magic tricks leave a greater impact than unfunny jokes and are harder to compensate for as they are few and far between," Dr Greengross added.

"In addition to requiring highly technical skills, regardless of the type of magic performed, the high stakes of magic performances make magicians a unique creative group to study amongst all artistic professions," he further said.

(With inputs from agencies)