This feature was first published in January 2024 in My Mensa Weekly, our exclusive newsletter for Mensa members. Find out more about becoming a Mensa member here.
Is SAD getting to you? Maybe trying your hand at magic is the answer…
This time of year is notoriously tough for trying to stay upbeat; it’s still dark, often cold, and the energy and togetherness of Christmas is over. There’s even a name for what is considered the most depressing day of the year: Blue Monday is typically the third Monday in January.
The Aberystwyth University team recently conducted research involving around 200 magicians and 233 non-magicians to assess psychopathological and autistic traits. They found that the magicians scored lower on three out of four schizophrenia measures, and higher on creative personal identity and self-efficacy. In short: magicians were happier, more mentally balanced and had stronger beliefs in their own abilities than the general population. The authors of the research say that it highlights “the unique characteristics of magicians and the possible myriad associations between creativity and mental disorders among creative groups”.
But why does magic provide such positive benefits? The research team posited that, among other things, it could be that the magician community is highly collaborative; anecdotal evidence shows that magicians often learn from and coach each other and develop tricks with the help of others – meaning that they naturally require strong social skills not always associated with certain mental health conditions. One of the surveyed magicians also suggested that many children who take up magic do so because they are more socially isolated or even bullied, and that magic helps them to build up resilience and confidence.
If performing magic tricks doesn’t feel like your bag, never fear: taking up another creative hobby could also help boost your mood. Several pieces of research have shown that having a hobby can mitigate or prevent low mood; some doctors have even been known to use ‘social prescribing’ to encourage people to take up pleasurable activities, such as gardening or art, as a way to look after their mental health. Why does this appear to work? Whatever pastime you choose, doing something you enjoy releases ‘feel good’ chemicals, such as dopamine, which give you a sense of achievement and purpose. When an activity is carried out alongside other people, it can also increase our sense of belonging and social support.
Journalist Peter Ormerod drew a rather lovely conclusion from the Aberystwyth research: that to be a magician naturally requires one to balance a firm grasp of reality with a ‘deep sense of wonder’: “knowing the real from the illusory or delusory, while also celebrating wonder, sounds like as sensible a way to stay mentally healthy as any job provides,” he writes in the Guardian. While no one is saying that pulling a rabbit from a top hat is the cure for all mental ills, next time you feel your mood taking a dip, why not try to ‘conjure up’ your sense of wonder?
Need a hobby to help fight off a low mood? Here are some suggestions that may inspire and delight…
