One thing I love about Vsauce is it gives us a glimpse into the rabbit hole and an opportunity to get a feel of just how deep it goes. Michael kind of waves you over to the edge and asks, "You wanna see somethin' cool?" and has you lean over and peer down, deep into some abyssal well of knowledge and right as you start getting vertigo, he grabs you by the back of your shirt, pulls you back to safety and says, "Ain't that some shit?"
besides the point above, @@charles7623, many cameras are hidden. For instance you can see the camera hiding in the "Should I die" episode, since it's clearly behind some fabric, because the view on the table where the participants are is distorted. You can't also see any other cameras in the room where the "reverse-exorcism" went, they are most probably hidden too.
“People don’t normally have feelings of decapitation and numbness, so either we’ve stumbled upon a way to summon a spirit or our belief manipulation is working” 😂😂
I think the young man who had the feelings of decapitation & numbness really "listened to his body", & became aware of how the experiment could affect him. He neither accepted any new belief nor rejected what occurred in the room.
I think Michael had some issue with it, her explanation of what occurred and what she felt seemed to affect him, even if he knows what's really taking place.
You can interpret it in many ways. Maybe the spirit of her mother led her to this experience so they could connect. - Human desire to believe is also a powerful force.
Well it would have been pretty interesting if he said he had a very analytical career like a software developer, mathematician or something related to the nature of the experiment like psychology.
@@projectorpc8832 I wonder if there's any actual correlation between an "analytical" career and skeptical thinking/being very observant. Probably hard to operationalize though.
@@chickenskink1 my mum's in journalism and was telling me about her time being a test subject en masse in uni - apparently experiments like this are easy to sniff out if you have a keen eye and good critical thinking. it'd be interesting to see skepticism by career but as you said it'd be finicky to test/quantify
I love how every experiment like this ends with Michael walking into a room and essentially going, "yeah, this was all bullshit and your reaction was a lie, so thank you for your contribution to science."
Subjects' reactions weren't a lie though. They weren't actors. If you claim they lied about their experience, then frankly you have no idea what placebo effect is
I'm guessing their screening process was both psychologists verifying their mental health for experimentation, and have never seen Vsauce or Michael before haha
Like others have suggested, probabily in the survey they have to answer if they watch regularly RUclips or not, and theoretically by answering "YES" they don't pass for the experiment
I would guess not so many tho.. idk some of my friends watch YT non-stop and I was surprised to learn they didn't know PewDiePie so the same probably goes for Vsause. Not to mention many of the contestants are 40+ years old and probably have never heard of the Legend that we have here
satyu131089 priests aren’t taking advantage of other children. Yes there are that still do and that’s horrible, but the reason many people become priests is that they genuinely believe in what they do.
This was so eye opening. As an adult, I've never been very religious but more skeptical of it all. Now I can see how the brain works regarding religious awakening. As a child, I have been to revivals where so many people were "touched" and many even "saw God". I didn't experience that so I wondered what was wrong with me. Well, according to this, it wasn't that God chose to show himself to others and did not care for me. As a child it is very easy to believe this and it actually affected my life. As I got older, I convinced myself that those people did not actually meet God, they lied. But now I see its not one or the other. Meeting God is very real to the person experiencing it, so they didn't lie. God also didn't personally appear to others and not me. Its just the way my brain is wired. After all these years, this is a comforting conclusion. I'm glad I saw this.
I feel inclined to doubt your explanation as well. I think it's possible that something might have been happening. But this all seems like a lot to decode. I mean, someone feeling like their head was detached? Why is that happening?
@Ved Kolambkar “All these people faking quotations from me, as if it makes them seem smarter? Don’t these people know that google exists?” -Albert Einstein
I used to work at a casino - the patrons who played slots developed extremely elaborate rituals to "boost their luck" that would entail all sorts of spurious behavior - like getting up and sitting back down or wiping the screen in a specific pattern etc. I called this behavior "pigeon-ing" after the Skinner behavior experiments.
I was that guy that when their ritual fails and they move to a different row of slots...I Swoop in for the kill and with in a minute or so I usually always win. I was just in the Riverboats in Lake Charles. On our way back to Houston. My buddy sat at a Blackjack table and i went and lurked around the $5 Slots. Up gets an older lady. I swooped in. Put a $20 in. Bet max. Less than 2 mins later I walk over to my buddy and said Im cashing out and will be out in the car.(only planned on a 1hr visit) and he said why and i said ive won $723.00 & he said BS weve only been here maybe 10 mins. Then I showed him 3 reciept vouchers (I cashed out 3 times. Prevents me from spending lots). Did the same thing at Mandalay Bay except it was walking from lobby to elevator. Saw a lady w/ quarter bucket cup get up mumbling so I threw a 5$ in and maxbet and sirens/bells went off before she even got out of the aisle. $1800.00. She came back and tried to argue that it was her winnings and she wasnt done on that machine. She lost the argument w/security/pit etc. Moral of the story. Find those superstitious slot gamblers and lurk until they leave then swoop in. I think Friends had a episode on the same thing. Phebo was involved
I’ve known ladies that *have* to use the exact same slot machine every time they gamble, or else they won’t play. One lady was at the same machine for 33 years straight
I'm seeing a lot of this behaviour in gacha games - and online games with rng driven loot in general. People create the most elaborate rituals to crack the system.
@@Rickrollmachine23 It's also possible some people did recognize him but were told (or simply assumed) that this was just one of many projects Michael is involved in. It's not uncommon to see influencers, celebrities, RUclipsrs, and other media figures working on different things.
@abstract5249 not to mention, they usually disguise these studies as other, different experiments. Like, if Michael asked any of us to go into that box for a TV show, we're not immediately thinking of the Skinner box theory thing. We're just excited to be lab rats, no?
Ok so whatever he TELLS me they're testing for.. just take that idea and throw it out the window and try to recollect what kinds of odd patterns you've noticed happening to you in the week long lead up to the experiment. "How many peculiar posters did I see on the way here?? What did he change in the matrix?!?"
I love how they didn't have the heart to tell the lady that it was a rigged experiment. After she went on about how profound it was for her seeing her mom and all, she probably would have broke down and started crying.
The experiment being rigged doesn't really invalidate the woman's beliefs. It's not like the experiment created her beliefs. It seems like there's something extra going on here.
She already had those beliefs beforehand, the experiment merely triggered those beliefs and that is her own personal experience that she felt. For her may as well have been real. In a placebo the trigger can be fake, but the effects can be real.
Actually, I'm sure they must've explained things to her, but probably kept it off camera due to the profound nature of her experience. It would've been unethical for them not to disclose this to her. Also, it would be devastating to find out later accidentally.
Michael was not happy with "Priest Calahan", so much so that he got replaced by the psychologist and just became a human prop. Poor guy, he has probably been trying to act for 40 years at this point.
This is actually a really good point. Susceptibility is tied closely with belief, and people that already engage in spiritual altered states of consciousness like meditation are likely going to have more dramatic effects in a ritual like this.
@@AbandonedVoid True. But, as we see with the placebo effect, belief itself is extremely powerful. It can alter our brain chemistry and bodies... maybe it can alter our perceptions, our abilities to 'see' things our eyeballs can't.
Abandoned Void That’s true. It’s really interesting too because it works in a religious perspective as well. Scientifically, if a person believes in this sort of stuff then they’ll be more susceptible to it. But also, in a religious standpoint it makes sense that a person who prays a lot will probably be more likely to see signs than a person who doesn’t.
@@Ajira28 i feel you. Many people like to say they are cynical and intellectual. not saying Im the latter by any means, if people say I am but thats cool but i wont make that claim. Those people dont take into account how fucking depressing being aware of the truths of life can be.
@@dancingbanana168 I think believing in God gives people so much, like hope and happiness and these things, what is similar to the things a God promises. Do maybe, even if there was no God (what we do not know) the believing in God has so much advantage, that i cannot understand, why people shoes no to believe. But that's my opinion amd just a pretty long way to ask you: "why not"? I would really be interested, to hear the opinion of the others side
That guy revealed so much about fear, self-restriction and regret instead of superstitious behavior! I feel like if i push the button, my time is up. by the end... Can I push the button now? /timer done "I feel like i should have pushed the button" That was so insightful to me.
@@mimszanadunstedt441 I don't think so, before he looked at the camera to say that his eyes drifted to his crew members behind him. Seemed like he was genuinely surprised
I mean I'm pretty sure it actually does kinda help, dust in cartridges isn't good. However, we blew in them so much there is no way there was dust in them. We just kept blowing because it worked the first time.
Moisture in the plug makes electrical signal stronger. Is what I believe. But who knows. I also believe vaccines are effective and that seems to throw off everybody. Maybe I'm just crazy.
Do you know what I always find most amazing? That no one ever recognises Michael and goes ‘this has to be a vSauce experiment, I am definitely not going to trust whatever is happening here’! Seriously though, these videos are always so interesting and give a great insight into how we function as humans. It’s kinda sad in this one with the woman who thought she saw her mother. Her subconscious obviously provided something she desperately needed and I hope it won’t mess her up to find it wasn’t really what she thought. I hope she went and got some kind of counselling afterwards.
They screen the participants, i'm sure they ask questions about interest in edutainment and if they watch informative videos on youtube or something to that effect.
I think the point here is that her experience was real and valid regardless of if this was an experiment or a ritual. I do hope she finds peace, but seeing her mom in this way could've helped her find it.
Markass yeah I hope she sees it that way. I guess it depends on if she is the sort of person who needs to feel that there really is an actual angel that actually did reassure her or if she is the sort of person who feels a sense of resolution from having had the experience.
Would have been cool to let all the contestants talk to each other after one round and then send them back in for round 2 and see how that affects their behaviour
Michael: "I don't think it's ethical to tell someone they're possessed by a demon." Also Michael: Proceeds to convince them that HE is possessing them with a demon. Also, wouldn't a reverse exorcism be an endorcism?
Yeah it's not exactly the same. If they believed that they were possessed by a demon before coming it could affect many things like how they see themselves. So it is surely more ethical to pretend you're the one behind it.
The comment I was looking for, that moment was simultaneously hilarious and really scary for humanity, the fact that that's necessary is ridiculous to me
@@daan9211 What you're doing is an attempt to shift the burden of proof. Many believers try and do this because they can't prove their god exists. It is on the one who makes the claim to provide proof not the one who is skeptical of it. Sadly many people who are religious do not know how to think critically which is why religious people often make fallacious arguments like what you're doing right now. The main issue with the abrahamic religions, and many other religions as well, is that they rely on blind faith rather than sound evidence. You can have faith in anything, but it doesn't make it a fact. Also a personal issue I have with some religious communities is that they discourage questioning.
I love how at the end when they discussed the results of the experiment, Michael had to cut off the doc to ensure that religious people don't react with hysteria and cause problems for the producers of the show.
Yeah it was basically Micheal: *spends the half the episode proving a lot of religious experiences are fake* Dr Veissière: A lot of priests probably convince themselves that they’re actually summoning- Micheal: And perhaps they are! There’s no way to prove god didn’t do anything (for the viewers) Every non-religious persons reaction watching: 26:46
@@XxEnderCookiezxX i mean, you can always be religious and say "yes but that only applies to [other belief]" or "[not to this person]" Its no secret that multiple, contradicting beliefs claim to be the truth, someone has to be wrong anyways.
Irondragon1945 Oh yeah for sure! Sorry I didn’t mean to come off to be non-inclusive to those kinds of beliefs. I have relatives who are like that too so I understand that side.
I kinda liked that Michael clearly saw that the doctor didn't intend to claim that the priests are wrong or offend them but the way he put it would make some people take it as such. So he quickly intervened/spoke over him in order to not cause a controversy when the episode aired and to give religious people the benefit of the doubt.
@@Karpaneen Yeah. Even though scientifically speaking, there’s more evidence to prove what a planet millions of miles away is composed of than to prove the existence or legitimacy of religions - it’s nice to see he was considerate. I’m sure we will get more scientific minded people by being gentle around their preconceived beliefs at first rather than to outright disagree
@@wolfiemuse Well, I don't think he is just being considerate, the research really doesn't (and depending on the thing, can't never) prove out a religious or spritiual consideration. For me it was a nice and necesary philosophical wink after the (lol) assumption of 100% fact implied in the doctor's statement.
@@_sushishi_ You can't prove that something doesn't exist in general. period. I can't prove their isn't an invisible unicorn next to you, but I would still admit you to the psych ward if you seriously told me you believed that. That's why reasonable people generally agree to put the burden of proof on the person making a positive claim. So I'm pretty sure, Michael was just being considerate.
It just showed the dr didn't think about a very important angle to the whole charade. Thankfully Michael did and provided a nice perspective shift for him
“Sadly, the results of the experiment were later found to be unreliable due to an unaccounted bias introduced by the sampling procedure, the possibility of information sharing between participants and the appearance of Satan.”
I have this kinda cool thought that if Michael invites me for an experiment i'ma pretend i don't know him or anyone and then in the middle of the experiment say "Hey Vsauce! Michael here"
This had a really big impact on me. I noticed that the woman who had the most profound experience was the one whose mother had passed, as mine did 4 years ago. After that happened I became a lot more open to spirituality, more open to the meaning and impact of religious iconography and stories. (For one, I get a lot out of travelling to new cities and visiting the most beautiful churches which invariably have a depiction of Mother Mary, the maternal ideal). I had a close and loving relationship with my mum and her passing was a sudden tragedy. But I do believe that it gave me the gift of being able to more easily connect with the spiritual realm, in a way that has wholly and positively impacted my life. Perhaps this is because I will always be connected with her, the woman who made me who I am today, in life and in death.
This is such a fantastic video! Thank you Michael for this. Superstitious behavior is a particular interest of mine. I am looking forward to watching this again with my kids. Thank you! ❤️
just wanna take a minute to give recognition to how truly great that Trolly Problem Video plug was, giving JUST enough info to make you want to watch it without giving it away. I just came from that video (lol) and it did that perfectly. Love you videos, I say this every time, I love it.
I feel bad that I didn't have to pay now because thease programs are so good. That said I am glad I can watch them as I can't afford to pay. I appreciate this fantastic freebie. X
@@peterbeadman9010 same, I've learned really much from his videos. If I have the financial ability to support his content I would be very glad to do so.
Michael, you're gifted, and now you're possessing people with science. You have the power to do great things. And with great power comes great responsibility. You can't just give people demons for fun.
I'm sure she was saying the truth. Studies shows religious people tend to be more delusional than non-religious. Come on, you know these people believe in invisible things.
avoiding controversy: -there is no way to prove whether or not god worked in this room today -Emh...I guess...maybe...emh...ultimately....emh...there...there isn't
@@ivnehaas There's also no way to prove whether or not a morbidly obese elephant doing pilates worked in that room that day... Doesn't mean we have to take anyone who believes that seriously.
I thought exactly that when I watched it. Yes there is no way of proving God was not involved in that room that day, but all the imperial evidence suggests that he wasn't. As a man of science himself, Michael fully understands that, just avoiding an angry comment section
You are missing the point. Given God created the laws of the universe (which includes biology and psychology), why wouldn't he work within these laws? Many believe the subconscious mind is where God operates and meets with people.
@@leftydan123 i dont think he necessarily avoided that lol but atlleast atheists arent likely to make news headlines or give him death threats, so better of two evils?
You know the worst thing is, I remember a few years ago doing a survey for being in an experiment and now it's all making sense. I was totally declined entry and now I know it's because I was an avid watcher of vSauce and RUclips. I would have adored being able to be a part of any of the Mindfield experiments. 😱
The interesting ‘belief’ here is from Michael and the professor who were able to convince themselves that their Skinner box experiment was valid. It suffers from the same problem as the Stanford experiment talked about a few episodes ago. The humans being tested were primed with expectations and preconceptions. They’re on a game show. They’re being told that the goal is to get as much money as they can. They already enter this situation thinking that they can affect the money coming out. The pigeons have no such preconceptions but develop superstitious behavior organically.
I came here to state the same thing. It was called the Victory Vault - that title and calling it a “game”certainly implies expectations of being able to affect the outcome to achieve “victory” and I also read what @gabriel M said above and initially disagreed .. until I noticed the title was indeed Behavior and Belief - but that’s not what they claimed to be looking for. Case in point: At 2:41, Michael asks Dr. Blaisdell what his dream test is. He answers that he wanted “to REPLICATE skinner’s superstitious experiment” - but instead of with pigeons, with people.” @12:45, Michael said, “i totally agree. Except there were some people who were able to (he hesitates) ... guess - with some degree of confidence - that they didn’t have control. (It seemed obvious to me that GreyTshirtParticipant didn’t guess. At 12:48, he was asked “Did you learn anything?” He replied “That is was dispensing, like a dollar, i dunno, every 30-seconds or something”. The dude claims, “I’m just very observant” as an explanation for why he came to that conclusion. Dr. Blaisdell guy responds with “some people were probably just skeptical from the get-go. And that’s just their personality”. This sounded like they were invalidating GreyShirtParticipant’s observations by chalking it up to a skeptic personality. Why couldn’t they give the dude credit for noticing the pattern. He nailed that the dollars came in 30-second intervals. In my opinion, this still supports (at least part of) their premise, as evidenced by the moment at 13:08, when Dr. Blaisdell ironically validates both GreyShirtGuy and his own premise by saying, “we’re pattern-seekers” explaining how accidental reinforcement is likely how rituals got started. The BIGGEST irony is what is said at 0:23 mark and that Michael’s original premise is that “what we THINK we know, we really only BELIEVE we know.” And that we like lies. Hmmmm.
I agree, thinking, that their behaviour right before the money comes out, triggered the money to come out, can not be called a superstition in that context, but is just their attempt to rationally understand the situation and "game" that their told theyre plaiyng - superstitions on the other hand are irrational and have no evidence to support them. - if these people had gone on to play the game longer, they all would have realised, that what they initially thought triggered the money, doesnt actually trigger the money.
Followed by Psychiatrist: "you would like to experimentally induce a spirit possession experience" Micheal: Right! Psychiatrist: "I like that" Big smile on his face. Me: Lol. Just a Bunch of mad scientists these ones. Lol.
the reverse exorcism just reminded me of the demonic possession accusations from the '80s, when confessions were basically forced out of children. policemen and therapists repeatedly asked kids "what happened to you?" and it was a whole "believe the children" movement so they legit just wouldn't take no for an answer. so the kids made up experiences in their minds- the adults being so serious about the whole situation actually made the children manufacture false memories; they were lying but not consciously. they knew they were supposed to say something so, they reported something. a ridiculous number of teachers and fathers and people of authority were thrown in jail or had their names and reputations permanently vandalized over what turned out to be.. nothing.
The more I hear about the 80s and 90s, the more I’m glad to be here. Yeah we have grandpa politicians, changing climate and a bunch of other things, but at least we never saw Pokémon as a form of devil worship, or… whatever the hell that was.
26:34 Michael desperately trying to avoid controversy from the Christians lol Love all the work your doing btw The best show in youtube red in my opinion
@@cmckee42 Well, I just don't see why Christians would watch something such as this. Sure, there are probably some religious people that watch this. But I really doubt they are the majority.
Well I think maybe she being deceived into thinking she was being part of real religious acts does not take away from the fact that she did imagine very vividly the image of her mother, and she felt confortable with her. Maybe it didn't happen in the real world, but i guess it could be a real experience for her anyway, and one in wich she should be able to feel confort remembering it in the future.
26:30 Veissiére: They may be convinced that they are facilitating connection with the divi- Michael: and PERHAPS THEY ARE! *we don't need controversy shh....*
26:33 It almost seems like that was an "ideological" disclaimer that Michael wanted to or had to state (due to the other producers), to prevent alienating a portion of the audience. Regardless, it is quite an absurd thing to say within the context of this whole series, which seeks to find answers through empirical studies.
its to prevent angering the audience when a topic that sensitive is being discussed. i can see why he would want to keep his reputation more peaceful and doesnt want to upset people since his videos usually dont discuss topics this controversial
In the credits, they list two legal advisors - one a large legal firm. So maybe the disclaimer was also legally required. Legalese (arbitrary human rules) always complicate or preclude performing good science.
I mean, he’s always been a peaceful guy. I’ve noticed how he never takes any controversial opinions in general, even in a podcast asking him about breast or butt.
Seriously my first thought on studying this. My main problem with these kinds of tests is that there are vast differences in brain-behavior between each individual. Like how a significant number of people young and old mixed can barely learn how to use computers and would never enjoy a videogame. A significant number of people will refuse to learn about a lot of things due to their brain behavior while others choose to learn as much as possible about everything. All these behavioral details and differences are on display in schools even though one might propose the more young humans experience in common the more closely their behavior aligns that might be true for certain things but when everyone is grouped into a large school these obvious differences and traits of each human brain divide even that.
As a methodological solipsist I believe Michael might be one of the few people who actually gets it. There is an enormous responsibility that comes with studying and reporting on things like this - you just can't do it if you don't understand empiricism.
As someone who has experienced the trauma of exorcism from several different perspectives, I absolutely agree with Michael that telling someone they are possessed with a demon is unethical
19:41 you can tell the priest was an actor because he called that cross a crucifix, when a crucifix is a cross with Jesus on it. That cross didn't have a Jesus statue on it making it just a cross.
I'd like to point out something that I think might be a complication in the first experiment, Victory Vault. (Obviously, a channel as big as Vsauce doesn't have the time to dig for comments like these, but... I'll take my stab anyway.) You told them that Victory Vault was a game show, yes? "Game" being the important word there. In most games, we as the players are the catalyst for several important events within the game. Particularly, when it comes to the end goal of a game, we have always been put in the position of needing to take the initiative. Not only this, but the mechanics of the game and the abilities it provides us are directly connected to achieving that very same goal. You could go so far as to say that whether or not you win the game is under your indirect control. As a result, in your game show experiment- it's possible you were setting up for exactly the conditions you were expecting. In the context of a game, it would legitimately be less reasonable to assume you had no form of control. You have also been taught to trust the designers of the game, namely that they have given you some form of control. By this reasoning, it's only natural for people to begin searching for a way to exercise the control that they've been conditioned to believe they already have. Oooh boy, that turned out to be a long one.
Well the test itself was to see if people will create placebo effects in their mind out of a pure coincidence. So the door thing is a good example, so if the money fell out as they were going through the door they thought that the door was the trigger so a few people messed with the door multiple times in attempts to activate the money mechanism kind of like a ritual. They created a systematic approach around an assumption that it was the trigger with no actual evidence. Long story short the test was to see if people would repeat an action over and over if they think that's what will reward them even if it's not true.
Yes, the team knew this. They mentioned it in the form 'But humans have a lot of pre-existing beleives when they enter the room'. They also acknowledged it in the end in the form of Michael saying that this probably doesn't mean we are dumb
I don't know, about the skinner vault, i think it might be a little biased, they come in expecting that there is a mistery to be solved. Of course they try something or try to find some causality.
I guess something like life. We weren't told to do anything just live in it and just like that money that comes out(tho irl it's random) there are times in life that makes us feel good so we try and recreate those things. I guess
I agree. It's basically a useless experiment. It proves that when you set up a game show and tell people they are on a game show, they really believe it is a game show. Well, duh, what reason do they have to believe otherwise?
No that's the point, it recreates life in general. I'm not anti-religious but it goes along with the idea that if you pray it could be coincidence something happens not causality. The box demonstrates that if you are looking for something to cause something else it doesn't mean it does. Like when the lady walked out and into the room, and twice the money came out in conjunction to that, it doesn't mean the money came out because of that.
honestly i appreciate the fact it didnt just dismiss belief systems. like personally even if religions just are placebo i see no difference. if it works for them it works for them
True, people believing in *normal* religions aren't bad and sometimes it does help better individuals. It's the people who leech off of those religions to profit, like people who claim to be creationists or flat earthers (because for some reason a lot of religious people seem to be really antiestablishment) but are actually just looking to peddle their dumb books on the topic and earn off of lying to and manipulating faithful people, or maybe they have a museum they want you to visit and spend money on, or the faith healers and fortune tellers, I remember one fortune teller who told a husband and wife that their daughter who had gone missing was already dead, only for the daughter to be found a couple years later already dead, but proven to be still alive even after the fortune telling occurred, and may have actually been found with earnest search efforts if the family actually endeavored to search for her, but of course they didn't because the fortune teller told them she was already dead. Oh and of course, I punctuated "normal" religions earlier because there are some cults or beliefs that involve self-harm, or worse, harm to the community and others around them, like anti-vaxxers, breatharianists, or the "5g caused corona beer virus" believers, one of which fired at engineers while they were fixing cell sites, and others which burned down cell towers and even some normal ass electric poles forcing some areas which need electricity to suddenly shut down and making communications far more difficult. Being stupid isn't a crime or a sin, but damn sometimes I wish some dummies and whoever "taught" them get some punishment.
"I felt the everlasting love and joy of god cover me" "Yeah,this was an experiment" "Yea,the church and it's symbols and rituals never really appealed to me" That was such a quick 180 there's a whole Initial-D soundtrack for it
One thing I love about Vsauce is it gives us a glimpse into the rabbit hole and an opportunity to get a feel of just how deep it goes. Michael kind of waves you over to the edge and asks, "You wanna see somethin' cool?" and has you lean over and peer down, deep into some abyssal well of knowledge and right as you start getting vertigo, he grabs you by the back of your shirt, pulls you back to safety and says, "Ain't that some shit?"
That's a cool observation, but I gotta say, when you
@@BradenBest continue....
@@axrah8406 Oh, I forgot I wrote that, lol. I was making fun of the way youtube randomly cuts comments off in the middle of the
Just like he interrupted the doctor by saying
And perhaps the priest do cause and connection with divine but we don't know.
Lol shut up
Where do they get people who dont recognize Michaeil?
there are probably a lot of people who do, then they just cut them out because it messed up the experiment
At the same place they get people who are dumb enough to not think that something is up when there is lots of cameras around.
@@charles7623 they are aware that it is an experiment , they just don't know what the experiment is , which means cameras are expected
besides the point above, @@charles7623, many cameras are hidden. For instance you can see the camera hiding in the "Should I die" episode, since it's clearly behind some fabric, because the view on the table where the participants are is distorted. You can't also see any other cameras in the room where the "reverse-exorcism" went, they are most probably hidden too.
Come on!!! Flatearth’s obviously 🙄
I just realized experimenting with test subjects is basically pranking for science.
Really it's the other way around. Pranks are experiments with no real purpose and mostly dumb results lol
exactly what I thought.. use science to make pranks more effective lol
its more like when the prank genre evolved into social experiments.
Well, guess I’m off to be a scientist!
The only difference between science and messin around is writing it down.
“People don’t normally have feelings of decapitation and numbness, so either we’ve stumbled upon a way to summon a spirit or our belief manipulation is working” 😂😂
That would be an unfortunate mistake
@@camilomanjarres1903 Or a shocking breakthrough. Or both!
I think the young man who had the feelings of decapitation & numbness really "listened to his body", & became aware of how the experiment could affect him. He neither accepted any new belief nor rejected what occurred in the room.
I just put your number of likes at the infamous 666
You're welcome.
I love that line:
"How can this not be real if a guy in a white labcoat is taking it so seriously."
😂
You almost have 555 likes
You have 555 likes
Aw two people liked it and ruined it
Labcoat convinced me everytime
Person: *has transcending lucid psychological experience*
Michael: sike get pranked
Its actually their own brain playing pranks on them
Also they didnt actually show telling her it was all BS.Did they even?I really wanted to se her reaction to being bamboozled.
I think Michael had some issue with it, her explanation of what occurred and what she felt seemed to affect him, even if he knows what's really taking place.
You can interpret it in many ways. Maybe the spirit of her mother led her to this experience so they could connect. - Human desire to believe is also a powerful force.
@@anechkagee5372 Whats a spirit?
'Human Skinner box' sounds much more horrific than what it actually is.
Ok stupid chill out
lol i kept thinking that every once in a while xD
B3N Shawzy lmao I like how you had to add his name into this
Yet, maybe we all as members of the homo sapiens species might be living our lives in one giant skinner box
Sounds like a mystery of Seymour skinner
I loved the guy who figured out the Victory Vault at 11:48, Michael was like "who are you?"
Well it would have been pretty interesting if he said he had a very analytical career like a software developer, mathematician or something related to the nature of the experiment like psychology.
@@projectorpc8832 I wonder if there's any actual correlation between an "analytical" career and skeptical thinking/being very observant. Probably hard to operationalize though.
@@projectorpc8832 yea i was thinking that guy is probably QA
@@chickenskink1 my mum's in journalism and was telling me about her time being a test subject en masse in uni - apparently experiments like this are easy to sniff out if you have a keen eye and good critical thinking. it'd be interesting to see skepticism by career but as you said it'd be finicky to test/quantify
I want bloopers of people that knew Michael from youtube or memes
Nice pic, Inside of Emptiness
No doubt thatd be great, from all the seasons..
there was 1 episode in s1 where a person recognised him
@@jatinjihaigaehe235 which episode?
@@jatinjihaigaehe235 I watched all of S1 two days ago and don't even remember that lol
Lol that doctor “and now she's dancing, just like Skinner's pigeon”
I bet she was a spy from the gobernment... *JUST LIKE PIGEONS.*
@@EddyConejo thanks i needed that laugh
Lol
@@yuyu8478 timestamp
the doctor looks like johnny sins btw
"you can't just put people in a box, they're quite clever"
something only an alien would say
Ah yes, the good old "haha humans dumb" joke
Oh yeah... lets hear your clever joke .
So we can identify U in the spectrum of how much of an asshole U R by your so called sarcasm.
@@iiib2975 dude you didn't had to go that far
@@iiib2975 see you next tuesday.
I don't think alien would say that people are clever
"I have been watching a lot of horror movies lately"
Yes Michael, we can tell.
lol
Underreated comment lmao
Human """"Skinner"""" box
I love how every experiment like this ends with Michael walking into a room and essentially going, "yeah, this was all bullshit and your reaction was a lie, so thank you for your contribution to science."
Timothy Alan truth😂 especially the last one lmao
Subjects' reactions weren't a lie though. They weren't actors. If you claim they lied about their experience, then frankly you have no idea what placebo effect is
Lmaoooo
@@____-pb1lg naah, I don't. You have to explain rather than just throw words like an angry child
@@____-pb1lg who hurt you ,little boy?
I wonder how many times people saw Micheal and freaked out because they recognized him and he couldnt use the footage
I'm guessing their screening process was both psychologists verifying their mental health for experimentation, and have never seen Vsauce or Michael before haha
Like others have suggested, probabily in the survey they have to answer if they watch regularly RUclips or not, and theoretically by answering "YES" they don't pass for the experiment
*MANY*
I would guess not so many tho.. idk some of my friends watch YT non-stop and I was surprised to learn they didn't know PewDiePie so the same probably goes for Vsause. Not to mention many of the contestants are 40+ years old and probably have never heard of the Legend that we have here
@@someonez aww yes
“What’s the difference between what we did today and what an actual priest can do?”
“that’s a really controversial question”
MeSaDrums 😂 heard the way he cut in real quick too
I was wondering if he'd ask this
They didn't take advantage of children like many actual priests! That's a difference!
They probably didn't want to piss off any religious people. But it is a valid question and we should question everything.
satyu131089 priests aren’t taking advantage of other children. Yes there are that still do and that’s horrible, but the reason many people become priests is that they genuinely believe in what they do.
This was so eye opening. As an adult, I've never been very religious but more skeptical of it all. Now I can see how the brain works regarding religious awakening. As a child, I have been to revivals where so many people were "touched" and many even "saw God". I didn't experience that so I wondered what was wrong with me. Well, according to this, it wasn't that God chose to show himself to others and did not care for me. As a child it is very easy to believe this and it actually affected my life. As I got older, I convinced myself that those people did not actually meet God, they lied. But now I see its not one or the other. Meeting God is very real to the person experiencing it, so they didn't lie. God also didn't personally appear to others and not me. Its just the way my brain is wired. After all these years, this is a comforting conclusion. I'm glad I saw this.
some of them were lying , i been there also.
that sucks. But at least you know now.
I've never seen God, but... impossible things have happened to me.
I feel inclined to doubt your explanation as well. I think it's possible that something might have been happening. But this all seems like a lot to decode. I mean, someone feeling like their head was detached? Why is that happening?
If you weren't predisposed to theistic inclinations early life you are unlikely to conjure up a deity in your mind.
Doctor: some priests may have convinced themselves that are speaking to the divine-
Michael: *PANIC MODE*
@Ved Kolambkar i can´t find that quote, google only found 4 results and all of them are about the movie "Red Estate"
Ved Kolambkar that’s not a Stephen hawking quote
@Ved Kolambkar
“All these people faking quotations from me, as if it makes them seem smarter? Don’t these people know that google exists?”
-Albert Einstein
@Ved Kolambkar actual quote is
"I don't fear God, I fear his believers"
~Stephen Hawking
"I like to use quotes to seems like i have a personality"
-Dude nº 936441
"When I said I was Vanessa, that was a lie"
*Music intensifies*
"Or was it"
Michael is trans
@@billywhizz09 Or is he? @o@
@@MakkusuOtaku Or is she? o@o
Great, I've been missing Vsauce-BrainCraft crossovers so bad
I wanna like but I’ll ruin the 69 likes
I used to work at a casino - the patrons who played slots developed extremely elaborate rituals to "boost their luck" that would entail all sorts of spurious behavior - like getting up and sitting back down or wiping the screen in a specific pattern etc.
I called this behavior "pigeon-ing" after the Skinner behavior experiments.
I was that guy that when their ritual fails and they move to a different row of slots...I Swoop in for the kill and with in a minute or so I usually always win. I was just in the Riverboats in Lake Charles. On our way back to Houston. My buddy sat at a Blackjack table and i went and lurked around the $5 Slots. Up gets an older lady. I swooped in. Put a $20 in. Bet max. Less than 2 mins later I walk over to my buddy and said Im cashing out and will be out in the car.(only planned on a 1hr visit) and he said why and i said ive won $723.00 & he said BS weve only been here maybe 10 mins. Then I showed him 3 reciept vouchers (I cashed out 3 times. Prevents me from spending lots). Did the same thing at Mandalay Bay except it was walking from lobby to elevator. Saw a lady w/ quarter bucket cup get up mumbling so I threw a 5$ in and maxbet and sirens/bells went off before she even got out of the aisle. $1800.00. She came back and tried to argue that it was her winnings and she wasnt done on that machine. She lost the argument w/security/pit etc. Moral of the story. Find those superstitious slot gamblers and lurk until they leave then swoop in. I think Friends had a episode on the same thing. Phebo was involved
Yup! That's exactly how it works. Also the reinforcement schedule of gambling makes it such an easy addiction to fall into.
I’ve known ladies that *have* to use the exact same slot machine every time they gamble, or else they won’t play. One lady was at the same machine for 33 years straight
I'm seeing a lot of this behaviour in gacha games - and online games with rng driven loot in general. People create the most elaborate rituals to crack the system.
@@xWBNJLprks I've been doing that with Fire Emblem Heroes. I like to summon from the bottom left since I think it might work for me better.
The most unbelievable part of this entire series is that they get all of these random participants that somehow don’t recognize Michael.
They probably ask if they’ve heard of them before they get participants
They probably just cut out the people that recognize him and just keep who the people who don't.
@@Rickrollmachine23 It's also possible some people did recognize him but were told (or simply assumed) that this was just one of many projects Michael is involved in. It's not uncommon to see influencers, celebrities, RUclipsrs, and other media figures working on different things.
@abstract5249 not to mention, they usually disguise these studies as other, different experiments. Like, if Michael asked any of us to go into that box for a TV show, we're not immediately thinking of the Skinner box theory thing. We're just excited to be lab rats, no?
Exactly what I was thinking
"How could this not be real if a guy in a white lab coat is taking it so seriously?"
-Vsauce, Michael here, 2019
You got her name wrong. It's Mind Field, Vanessa here
dude looking like johnny sins out here
The irony of this comment in 2021 is unreal
@@intellectuallyhot3407 Aptly said
@@bluffy-38 bruhhh he does
Imagine signing up for study and Vsauce Micheal Here enters the room
HOWARD BOYD sure
IT'S A TRAP!!!
Ok so whatever he TELLS me they're testing for.. just take that idea and throw it out the window and try to recollect what kinds of odd patterns you've noticed happening to you in the week long lead up to the experiment. "How many peculiar posters did I see on the way here?? What did he change in the matrix?!?"
Vanessa you mean
“How much damage, can the human body withstand?” *Pulls out club
everyone else: messing with door, pushing button, dancing
that one guy: *seduce the machine*
Ah yes, the DND bard tactic
@@CaptainGibbons Nat 20
He's a bard
@@shlecko they just copied stranger things theme
*teach the robot to love*
I love how they didn't have the heart to tell the lady that it was a rigged experiment. After she went on about how profound it was for her seeing her mom and all, she probably would have broke down and started crying.
The experiment being rigged doesn't really invalidate the woman's beliefs. It's not like the experiment created her beliefs. It seems like there's something extra going on here.
She already had those beliefs beforehand, the experiment merely triggered those beliefs and that is her own personal experience that she felt.
For her may as well have been real.
In a placebo the trigger can be fake, but the effects can be real.
Imagine she found this video
Actually, I'm sure they must've explained things to her, but probably kept it off camera due to the profound nature of her experience. It would've been unethical for them not to disclose this to her. Also, it would be devastating to find out later accidentally.
@@livethefuture2492 she just lied. that's all
can't believe michael skinnеd people in this one. truly dedicated to his craft
True 😠 I’m sad about this
Lie he didn't just skin people
True dedication
Have you been reading Anthony Fantano’s comment sections?
uMm aCtUaLlY hE dIdN't. ThAtS nOt WhAt SkInNeR bOx MeAnS. fAcTs xD
"People are quite clever"
Also people:
Let's dance so we can cause rain
clever and smart are very different things.
"one flap of a sea gull's wings would be enough to alter the course of the weather forever" - Edward Norton Lorenz
:v
@@ElMigUwUel *could be...
The butterfly effect
ok d4 c
"You want to experimentally induce a spiritual possession?"
"Yeah"
"I like that."
Me too Dr. Veissiere. Me too.
Michael was not happy with "Priest Calahan", so much so that he got replaced by the psychologist and just became a human prop. Poor guy, he has probably been trying to act for 40 years at this point.
Lmao
I FELT that
Yea… dude looked exactly like someone acting like a priest from a movie 😂
The same way you don't use an actor when performing surgeries. The actor is understandably poorly equipped.
Of course the girl with a “healing crystal” necklace was the most susceptible to suggestion
This is actually a really good point. Susceptibility is tied closely with belief, and people that already engage in spiritual altered states of consciousness like meditation are likely going to have more dramatic effects in a ritual like this.
@@AbandonedVoid True. But, as we see with the placebo effect, belief itself is extremely powerful. It can alter our brain chemistry and bodies... maybe it can alter our perceptions, our abilities to 'see' things our eyeballs can't.
I envy her, I am so cynical. I wish that I could see my mother again. That would be an amazing gift.
Abandoned Void That’s true. It’s really interesting too because it works in a religious perspective as well. Scientifically, if a person believes in this sort of stuff then they’ll be more susceptible to it. But also, in a religious standpoint it makes sense that a person who prays a lot will probably be more likely to see signs than a person who doesn’t.
@@Ajira28 i feel you. Many people like to say they are cynical and intellectual. not saying Im the latter by any means, if people say I am but thats cool but i wont make that claim. Those people dont take into account how fucking depressing being aware of the truths of life can be.
Michael: *sets up placebo effect experiment*
*accidentally speaks to God*
megan rebeschi
So speaking to himself then? :-)
@@Alex_K221 Eminem
@@RobertsBiezais theme song is just stranger things
I don’t believe in god
@@dancingbanana168 I think believing in God gives people so much, like hope and happiness and these things, what is similar to the things a God promises. Do maybe, even if there was no God (what we do not know) the believing in God has so much advantage, that i cannot understand, why people shoes no to believe. But that's my opinion amd just a pretty long way to ask you: "why not"? I would really be interested, to hear the opinion of the others side
Michael: WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DO HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE VATICAN.
M O R T I S
where does it say that
prove it
@@schincouch5567 it's a reference.
@@schincouch5567 It is a joke.
I NEED TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED
That guy revealed so much about fear, self-restriction and regret instead of superstitious behavior!
I feel like if i push the button, my time is up.
by the end...
Can I push the button now?
/timer done
"I feel like i should have pushed the button"
That was so insightful to me.
Father Callahan. I'm dying. Did the actor choose that name?
Seems like it, since Michael was like … OMG we're gonna have to change that!!
I bet they didn't really give him a name so he just came up with one on the spot.
@@mickblock Michael did it, he was just pretending he didn't to add entertainment value.
@@mimszanadunstedt441 yeah he love to make that type of joke all the time
@@mimszanadunstedt441 I don't think so, before he looked at the camera to say that his eyes drifted to his crew members behind him. Seemed like he was genuinely surprised
This experiment reminds me of when I was younger and I would blow in the Nintendo cartridges believing that was what was making them work
I mean I'm pretty sure it actually does kinda help, dust in cartridges isn't good.
However, we blew in them so much there is no way there was dust in them. We just kept blowing because it worked the first time.
we were human Pigeons because i didn't do it just once, but twice and more.... i thought it made game loads faster.
wait but it does
Moisture in the plug makes electrical signal stronger.
Is what I believe. But who knows. I also believe vaccines are effective and that seems to throw off everybody. Maybe I'm just crazy.
@@plokijum lol. dude, recently saw my aunt and apparently she is an anti-vaxxer... definitely one of the more uncomfortable conversations I had 😂
Do you know what I always find most amazing? That no one ever recognises Michael and goes ‘this has to be a vSauce experiment, I am definitely not going to trust whatever is happening here’!
Seriously though, these videos are always so interesting and give a great insight into how we function as humans. It’s kinda sad in this one with the woman who thought she saw her mother. Her subconscious obviously provided something she desperately needed and I hope it won’t mess her up to find it wasn’t really what she thought. I hope she went and got some kind of counselling afterwards.
I think they cut out people who notice him
They screen the participants, i'm sure they ask questions about interest in edutainment and if they watch informative videos on youtube or something to that effect.
I think the point here is that her experience was real and valid regardless of if this was an experiment or a ritual. I do hope she finds peace, but seeing her mom in this way could've helped her find it.
Lord Turnip yeah I hadn’t thought of that. You’re probably right.
Markass yeah I hope she sees it that way. I guess it depends on if she is the sort of person who needs to feel that there really is an actual angel that actually did reassure her or if she is the sort of person who feels a sense of resolution from having had the experience.
Would have been cool to let all the contestants talk to each other after one round and then send them back in for round 2 and see how that affects their behaviour
@@FreneticFolklore no it would be a completely different experiment
@@FreneticFolklore same experiment but testing another variable because it would be cool to see the results. hope this clarifies things for you.
doctor: - many priests may themselves be convinced that they are facilitating communication with the divi...
michael: - AND PERHAPS THEY ARE
i know right
I loved the look he gave Michael when he said that 26:40 😂👌
Don't wanna trigger anyone
Exactly rofl. Gotta keep people happy I guess.
Nice save, yeah.
Fake Priest: “I’m father Callahan”
Michael: “I’m about to end this man’s whole career”
@Daniel Chang why are you booing me I'm right
@@thebiggestbigmacever6315 right? about what?
MegaDudeman21 yes
@@AMan-xz7tx no?
MegaDudeman21 perhaps
14:02
"Now I've been watching a lot of horror movies lately and it gave me an idea."
That doesn't sound good
But it totally did.
*Michael at the end of the game show* "Yea basically you're a human pigeon but keep the change"
Michael: "I don't think it's ethical to tell someone they're possessed by a demon."
Also Michael: Proceeds to convince them that HE is possessing them with a demon.
Also, wouldn't a reverse exorcism be an endorcism?
Well when you put the demon in it means that it's going to be temporarily and that nothing was "wrong" with them before that.
@@god8020 Yeah, I know. I just thought that was ironic.
the hell with terminology
Yeah it's not exactly the same. If they believed that they were possessed by a demon before coming it could affect many things like how they see themselves. So it is surely more ethical to pretend you're the one behind it.
No, it's exnorcism ; )
Thank you Michael, very cool!
Tak Vitus, meget sejt!
why just why ........AM I LYING TO MYSELF ARHHHHH
Props to the black gay guy for being the only one to figure it out
Mexicans
Top kek
that chick: woah i don't wanna be possessed
michael: *evil laughter*
she said she is also already possessed lol
she bad doe
@@kitno6415 She got the drip though.
S hi kwnbdufnf
“Not on victory vault” that was absolutely genius Michael
Michael be like "dont scare off my christian viewers sciencebro"
right😂the way he yelled "AND PERHAPS THEY ARE"
The comment I was looking for, that moment was simultaneously hilarious and really scary for humanity, the fact that that's necessary is ridiculous to me
Smart for business but perhaps bad for the development of critical thinking in some of his audience
@@cosmossci4883 ok give critical proof he doesnt excist
@@daan9211 What you're doing is an attempt to shift the burden of proof. Many believers try and do this because they can't prove their god exists. It is on the one who makes the claim to provide proof not the one who is skeptical of it. Sadly many people who are religious do not know how to think critically which is why religious people often make fallacious arguments like what you're doing right now.
The main issue with the abrahamic religions, and many other religions as well, is that they rely on blind faith rather than sound evidence. You can have faith in anything, but it doesn't make it a fact. Also a personal issue I have with some religious communities is that they discourage questioning.
PRESS IT FO TIMES OUT COMES DA MONEY lol
Orangebike666 Exactly
Pepega
MADE A SISTA WORK HAWD FO HER MONEY
lol
lol
I love how at the end when they discussed the results of the experiment, Michael had to cut off the doc to ensure that religious people don't react with hysteria and cause problems for the producers of the show.
Yeah it was basically
Micheal: *spends the half the episode proving a lot of religious experiences are fake*
Dr Veissière: A lot of priests probably convince themselves that they’re actually summoning-
Micheal: And perhaps they are! There’s no way to prove god didn’t do anything (for the viewers)
Every non-religious persons reaction watching: 26:46
@@XxEnderCookiezxX i mean, you can always be religious and say "yes but that only applies to [other belief]" or "[not to this person]"
Its no secret that multiple, contradicting beliefs claim to be the truth, someone has to be wrong anyways.
Irondragon1945 Oh yeah for sure! Sorry I didn’t mean to come off to be non-inclusive to those kinds of beliefs. I have relatives who are like that too so I understand that side.
You seem to have misunderstood the result.
Religious dogma and god are imagined. I wish Michael wouldn’t cower to those who refuse to see this.
I like Michael so much, he clearly doesn't believe in god but still doesn't want to offend anyone, even when its just science stuff 26:30
I kinda liked that Michael clearly saw that the doctor didn't intend to claim that the priests are wrong or offend them but the way he put it would make some people take it as such. So he quickly intervened/spoke over him in order to not cause a controversy when the episode aired and to give religious people the benefit of the doubt.
@@Karpaneen Yeah. Even though scientifically speaking, there’s more evidence to prove what a planet millions of miles away is composed of than to prove the existence or legitimacy of religions - it’s nice to see he was considerate. I’m sure we will get more scientific minded people by being gentle around their preconceived beliefs at first rather than to outright disagree
@@wolfiemuse Well, I don't think he is just being considerate, the research really doesn't (and depending on the thing, can't never) prove out a religious or spritiual consideration. For me it was a nice and necesary philosophical wink after the (lol) assumption of 100% fact implied in the doctor's statement.
@@_sushishi_ You can't prove that something doesn't exist in general. period. I can't prove their isn't an invisible unicorn next to you, but I would still admit you to the psych ward if you seriously told me you believed that. That's why reasonable people generally agree to put the burden of proof on the person making a positive claim.
So I'm pretty sure, Michael was just being considerate.
25:27 Taking at face value everything people are saying for whatever reason
The DR's reaction when Michael said it could be god was priceless.
It was basically "are you shitting me"
@@carlosrosales6728-e9h hold my beer
It just showed the dr didn't think about a very important angle to the whole charade. Thankfully Michael did and provided a nice perspective shift for him
@@Ptaku93 Oh yeah, that little smug smile sure showed his perspective shift lol
@@Lucan47 just because he wasn't able to comprehend or seriously consider the perspective shift doesn't mean it wasn't intended on Michael's part
imagine if they did the ritual without knowing they had accidentally performed a 1000 year old ritual lmao
*conspiracy theorys* and then it wasnt fake at all!
Hey vause here today we are conducting a totally harmless experiment
*accidentally summons satan* oh fuck
“Sadly, the results of the experiment were later found to be unreliable due to an unaccounted bias introduced by the sampling procedure, the possibility of information sharing between participants and the appearance of Satan.”
I'll pay to see that!
@@windcorpOLEGSHA so they met satan?
Just now remembering I could never be on Mind Field because I would recognize Michael right away 😢
pretendd u dont
unless its a video about lies
then oof
I have this kinda cool thought that if Michael invites me for an experiment i'ma pretend i don't know him or anyone and then in the middle of the experiment say "Hey Vsauce! Michael here"
@@mohdqayemhussain5553 Damn dude you sound scary
I would also pretend to not know his so I can get a chance to sit in the same room with him.
This had a really big impact on me. I noticed that the woman who had the most profound experience was the one whose mother had passed, as mine did 4 years ago. After that happened I became a lot more open to spirituality, more open to the meaning and impact of religious iconography and stories. (For one, I get a lot out of travelling to new cities and visiting the most beautiful churches which invariably have a depiction of Mother Mary, the maternal ideal). I had a close and loving relationship with my mum and her passing was a sudden tragedy. But I do believe that it gave me the gift of being able to more easily connect with the spiritual realm, in a way that has wholly and positively impacted my life. Perhaps this is because I will always be connected with her, the woman who made me who I am today, in life and in death.
Anyone else get tricked into thinking Michael was Vanessa? He almost got me but I’m too smart for his deception.
This comment is amazing
Or are you?
I once dated Vanessa. As soon as she spoke through Michael, I felt the same connection we had. I know it was her. It was magical.
Or is he?
Trump no ur dumb
If you were to rub Michael’s head like a genies’s lamp he’d probably give you three of these episodes
Somebody must've rubbed it real good, since he gave us all of the seasons for free......
@@santerisalmivuori3872 You're welcome.
I'd love Micheal to sugandesenuts
This is such a fantastic video! Thank you Michael for this. Superstitious behavior is a particular interest of mine. I am looking forward to watching this again with my kids. Thank you! ❤️
what
Bruh
The guy that did nothing is my hero!
Also, the dude that figured it out, impressive.
"Human Skinner Box" is a terrifying combination of words
Louis Bowels ΨΣS ∇ΣRΨ DΔΠGΣRΩUS βΩI
Nice stolen comment Mr. Bowels
@@Migweegin shut up mr.robloxkidcringe
10 y/o Me: *Flushing ice down the toilet to increase the chance of a snow day*
We did that too!
hmm..
i wasn't quite THAT dumb when i was ten.
Yeah a butterfly affect might work on it lmao
That's cute if you were 5.
human skinner box sounds like something from the saw movies
Human Skinner Box or Human-Skinner Box? The importance of a hyphen! haha
Or something from a certain gif I saw that used to be popular a while ago...
Lol..😂
just wanna take a minute to give recognition to how truly great that Trolly Problem Video plug was, giving JUST enough info to make you want to watch it without giving it away. I just came from that video (lol) and it did that perfectly. Love you videos, I say this every time, I love it.
The term "Human Skinner Box" has some very gruesome undertones...
I'm feeling the same thing LOL
Just as your profile picture
Your profile pic looks like an inbred version of Dorothy from the golden girls
Ikr
It activates the money by putting the lotion on its skin.
-no clickbait title
-smooth segues
-"I'm gonna perform a reverse exorcism"
~performs reverse exorcisms
Worth. Every. Penny.
Pinormous dude michaels segues are so good you don’t even notice them
I feel bad that I didn't have to pay now because thease programs are so good. That said I am glad I can watch them as I can't afford to pay. I appreciate this fantastic freebie. X
@@peterbeadman9010 same, I've learned really much from his videos. If I have the financial ability to support his content I would be very glad to do so.
Is segues even a word
@@finitesource9643 yes
Today is my last RUclips premium day.
I’m so happy that you posted this video :)
just create another account with a new free trial, this is my third
Same
Sames I mean cmon do you really think I’m called Steve jobs lel
Me to. I also lose my RUclips premium today
Just pay for it. It's $12 for one month.
Michael, you're gifted, and now you're possessing people with science. You have the power to do great things. And with great power comes great responsibility. You can't just give people demons for fun.
What?
I would like to see Miriam's reaction when they told her the ritual was fake
Marge The Dog I wanted to see it too
I bet Michael would've tell her "etc etc YET your experience was real, what do you think about that?"
I'm sure she was saying the truth. Studies shows religious people tend to be more delusional than non-religious. Come on, you know these people believe in invisible things.
I doubt they even told her
@@klaus254 Lol no studies have shown that, stop lying to push your narrative. The big bang is invisible too if you're gonna make that argument.
avoiding controversy:
-there is no way to prove whether or not god worked in this room today
-Emh...I guess...maybe...emh...ultimately....emh...there...there isn't
But that's true. There isn't lol
@@ivnehaas There's also no way to prove whether or not a morbidly obese elephant doing pilates worked in that room that day...
Doesn't mean we have to take anyone who believes that seriously.
I thought exactly that when I watched it. Yes there is no way of proving God was not involved in that room that day, but all the imperial evidence suggests that he wasn't. As a man of science himself, Michael fully understands that, just avoiding an angry comment section
You are missing the point. Given God created the laws of the universe (which includes biology and psychology), why wouldn't he work within these laws? Many believe the subconscious mind is where God operates and meets with people.
@@leftydan123 i dont think he necessarily avoided that lol but atlleast atheists arent likely to make news headlines or give him death threats, so better of two evils?
I was so goddamn angry when she didn't even close the door after she switched techniques
You know the worst thing is, I remember a few years ago doing a survey for being in an experiment and now it's all making sense. I was totally declined entry and now I know it's because I was an avid watcher of vSauce and RUclips. I would have adored being able to be a part of any of the Mindfield experiments. 😱
So that's why none of the people know who Vsauce is.
Ee
Did they actually ask you whether you watch Vsauce?
@@chickenskink1 IIRC it did ask me to pick from a list, if I watched "any of these popular RUclips channels"
@@TheEmpireDabsBack Oh wow! That's crazy haha
The interesting ‘belief’ here is from Michael and the professor who were able to convince themselves that their Skinner box experiment was valid. It suffers from the same problem as the Stanford experiment talked about a few episodes ago. The humans being tested were primed with expectations and preconceptions. They’re on a game show. They’re being told that the goal is to get as much money as they can. They already enter this situation thinking that they can affect the money coming out. The pigeons have no such preconceptions but develop superstitious behavior organically.
I came here to state the same thing. It was called the Victory Vault - that title and calling it a “game”certainly implies expectations of being able to affect the outcome to achieve “victory”
and I also read what @gabriel M said above and initially disagreed .. until I noticed the title was indeed Behavior and Belief - but that’s not what they claimed to be looking for.
Case in point:
At 2:41, Michael asks Dr. Blaisdell what his dream test is. He answers that he wanted “to REPLICATE skinner’s superstitious experiment” - but instead of with pigeons, with people.”
@12:45, Michael said, “i totally agree. Except there were some people who were able to (he hesitates) ... guess - with some degree of confidence - that they didn’t have control.
(It seemed obvious to me that GreyTshirtParticipant didn’t guess. At 12:48, he was asked “Did you learn anything?” He replied “That is was dispensing, like a dollar, i dunno, every 30-seconds or something”. The dude claims, “I’m just very observant” as an explanation for why he came to that conclusion.
Dr. Blaisdell guy responds with “some people were probably just skeptical from the get-go. And that’s just their personality”. This sounded like they were invalidating GreyShirtParticipant’s observations by chalking it up to a skeptic personality.
Why couldn’t they give the dude credit for noticing the pattern. He nailed that the dollars came in 30-second intervals. In my opinion, this still supports (at least part of) their premise, as evidenced by the moment at 13:08, when Dr. Blaisdell ironically validates both GreyShirtGuy and his own premise by saying, “we’re pattern-seekers” explaining how accidental reinforcement is likely how rituals got started.
The BIGGEST irony is what is said at 0:23 mark and that Michael’s original premise is that “what we THINK we know, we really only BELIEVE we know.” And that we like lies. Hmmmm.
I agree, thinking, that their behaviour right before the money comes out, triggered the money to come out, can not be called a superstition in that context, but is just their attempt to rationally understand the situation and "game" that their told theyre plaiyng - superstitions on the other hand are irrational and have no evidence to support them. - if these people had gone on to play the game longer, they all would have realised, that what they initially thought triggered the money, doesnt actually trigger the money.
you are silly
@@DarkSoulsFan12345 no you are silly.
Jeffrey Lebowski I am THE. SILLIEST!
"I want to perform an accessory assisted reverse exorcism"
"mmmmmm" *concerned expression on his face*
an accurate response.
Followed by
Psychiatrist: "you would like to experimentally induce a spirit possession experience"
Micheal: Right!
Psychiatrist: "I like that" Big smile on his face.
Me: Lol. Just a Bunch of mad scientists these ones. Lol.
@@kamu747 yeah, he said "I like that" and kept smiling creeply afterwards, I was like, what's going on??? XD
@@laislyra5512 This is kind of SUS!
@@kamu747 He's a psychologist tho, isn't he?
@@TheUnderscore_ Indeed. Indeed.
My belief is that vsauce is immortal and will live forever
Or at least I hope he will
technically, a part of michael will live forever in his videos....assuming we don't ever end up in a post-EMP dark age without internet
St the very least, he said that he wants to die so...
can you imagine the consequences?
Same here
Did you not watch his last video? He chose to die over immortality.
the reverse exorcism just reminded me of the demonic possession accusations from the '80s, when confessions were basically forced out of children. policemen and therapists repeatedly asked kids "what happened to you?" and it was a whole "believe the children" movement so they legit just wouldn't take no for an answer. so the kids made up experiences in their minds- the adults being so serious about the whole situation actually made the children manufacture false memories; they were lying but not consciously. they knew they were supposed to say something so, they reported something. a ridiculous number of teachers and fathers and people of authority were thrown in jail or had their names and reputations permanently vandalized over what turned out to be.. nothing.
A great movie example of this is "the hunt"
The more I hear about the 80s and 90s, the more I’m glad to be here. Yeah we have grandpa politicians, changing climate and a bunch of other things, but at least we never saw Pokémon as a form of devil worship, or… whatever the hell that was.
26:34 Michael desperately trying to avoid controversy from the Christians lol
Love all the work your doing btw
The best show in youtube red in my opinion
I was looking for someone to mention this. He even interrupts that other guy just to avoid pissing off religious people.
I don't think a lot of religious people watch this anyway. You can see the researcher was on the brink of breaking out into laughter 😂
@@IsThisRain that is a pretty big generalization, considering the majority of humanity holds some form of religious belief.
@@cmckee42
Well, I just don't see why Christians would watch something such as this. Sure, there are probably some religious people that watch this. But I really doubt they are the majority.
@@IsThisRain I'm Christian and I have no issue with this episode.
Oof... how do you tell that last subject that she really didn't see her dead mom? I got uncomfortable as she described her perceived experience
Yeah same thought, i think like they shouldnt debrief her. (Or probably Michael is playing with us and thats an actor too).
Well I think maybe she being deceived into thinking she was being part of real religious acts does not take away from the fact that she did imagine very vividly the image of her mother, and she felt confortable with her. Maybe it didn't happen in the real world, but i guess it could be a real experience for her anyway, and one in wich she should be able to feel confort remembering it in the future.
Reminds me of the sensory tanks
@@lagduck2209 How do I know your not an actor also?
@@deejayhamm Never have I felt more like I am on an episode of Mind Field. How do I know I'm not an actor?
26:30
Veissiére: They may be convinced that they are facilitating connection with the divi-
Michael: and PERHAPS THEY ARE! *we don't need controversy shh....*
HE SAID TOO MUCH
@@SoGiga The side doctor seemed like a buzzkill tbh. Michael here is just vibing.
Pure panic between them
don't want to get the show demonetized...
@@promethium-145 I mean, what's wrong with the doctor taking this experiment in a serious level? This _is_ an experiment after all.
26:33 It almost seems like that was an "ideological" disclaimer that Michael wanted to or had to state (due to the other producers), to prevent alienating a portion of the audience. Regardless, it is quite an absurd thing to say within the context of this whole series, which seeks to find answers through empirical studies.
its to prevent angering the audience when a topic that sensitive is being discussed. i can see why he would want to keep his reputation more peaceful and doesnt want to upset people since his videos usually dont discuss topics this controversial
Is it wrong though? It’s not a testable hypothesis. It would be wrong to claim th evidence either does or doesn’t support it.
In the credits, they list two legal advisors - one a large legal firm. So maybe the disclaimer was also legally required.
Legalese (arbitrary human rules) always complicate or preclude performing good science.
@@keep-ukraine-free
That's an interesting point, and it's unfortunate if that really is the case - it undermines science.
I mean, he’s always been a peaceful guy. I’ve noticed how he never takes any controversial opinions in general, even in a podcast asking him about breast or butt.
I love how the host smirked to "there's no way of saying if god worked here today" as if he started laughing and they cut in post
Doctor Rainbow, I feel like Michael just wanted to make sure to keep it neutral and not to offend some of the audience.
"Now ive been watching a lot of horror movies lately, and they gave me an idea."
NO MICHAEL STOP-
Skinner box for humans already exists.
It's called MMORPGs.
Shit
Seriously my first thought on studying this. My main problem with these kinds of tests is that there are vast differences in brain-behavior between each individual. Like how a significant number of people young and old mixed can barely learn how to use computers and would never enjoy a videogame. A significant number of people will refuse to learn about a lot of things due to their brain behavior while others choose to learn as much as possible about everything. All these behavioral details and differences are on display in schools even though one might propose the more young humans experience in common the more closely their behavior aligns that might be true for certain things but when everyone is grouped into a large school these obvious differences and traits of each human brain divide even that.
Actually I think Path of Exile is the best example where you see many streamers have all sorts of rituals to improve their rng
@D4RKplayz I just finished watching SAO myself today, such an amazing series, makes me want to be part of an SAO like game.
@@MrJohnboyofsj significant number AKA > 99.999%
As a methodological solipsist I believe Michael might be one of the few people who actually gets it. There is an enormous responsibility that comes with studying and reporting on things like this - you just can't do it if you don't understand empiricism.
What kind of career does go into this route?
Does Behavioral Neuroscience counts?
@@SamanthaLily1 Yes... I'm actually going into neuroscience myself.
26:18
That look 😂 Dr V thinking ‘C’mon Michael. You put me on the spot!’
As someone who has experienced the trauma of exorcism from several different perspectives, I absolutely agree with Michael that telling someone they are possessed with a demon is unethical
I'm so glad these are watchable now
19:41 you can tell the priest was an actor because he called that cross a crucifix, when a crucifix is a cross with Jesus on it. That cross didn't have a Jesus statue on it making it just a cross.
Normal people: *messes with door, button and dancing*
That guy:
that guy lmao
Maybe Ill touch the button, maybe I won't xd
"People don't normally have feelings of decapitation." No, no they do not :D
Daniel Karbach tell this to angry parisians
I'm french and I beg to differ.
@@invock T'as volé ma blague connard
I immediately think of sport fan's superstitions lol. ex. lucky clothing because the team has won every time they wore it.
9:50
"'excuse me do you have a moment to talk about jesus christ"
Are you talking about JWs or Mormons? Cuz this is a BRUH moment.
14:07 The open door is giving me anxiety. Like... the void stares back
I Know 😟
I didn't notice it till you said sum😥
why did u have to point that out skull emoji
😂
18:13
You can’t fool me with Johnny Sins I know exactly what’s about to happen with this “reverse exorcism”.
yeah it's not just demons that are gonna be going in that patient's body
Gonna be millions of unborn babies
I'd like to point out something that I think might be a complication in the first experiment, Victory Vault. (Obviously, a channel as big as Vsauce doesn't have the time to dig for comments like these, but... I'll take my stab anyway.)
You told them that Victory Vault was a game show, yes? "Game" being the important word there. In most games, we as the players are the catalyst for several important events within the game. Particularly, when it comes to the end goal of a game, we have always been put in the position of needing to take the initiative. Not only this, but the mechanics of the game and the abilities it provides us are directly connected to achieving that very same goal. You could go so far as to say that whether or not you win the game is under your indirect control.
As a result, in your game show experiment- it's possible you were setting up for exactly the conditions you were expecting. In the context of a game, it would legitimately be less reasonable to assume you had no form of control. You have also been taught to trust the designers of the game, namely that they have given you some form of control. By this reasoning, it's only natural for people to begin searching for a way to exercise the control that they've been conditioned to believe they already have.
Oooh boy, that turned out to be a long one.
All that for 5 likes lmao
I would imagine you're correct
Well the test itself was to see if people will create placebo effects in their mind out of a pure coincidence. So the door thing is a good example, so if the money fell out as they were going through the door they thought that the door was the trigger so a few people messed with the door multiple times in attempts to activate the money mechanism kind of like a ritual. They created a systematic approach around an assumption that it was the trigger with no actual evidence. Long story short the test was to see if people would repeat an action over and over if they think that's what will reward them even if it's not true.
Yes, the team knew this. They mentioned it in the form 'But humans have a lot of pre-existing beleives when they enter the room'. They also acknowledged it in the end in the form of Michael saying that this probably doesn't mean we are dumb
@@bum_5362 29 likes now 🙃
paused to pop some corns when michael said: "now I was watching a lot of horror movies lately.... and it gave me an idea."
I don't know, about the skinner vault, i think it might be a little biased, they come in expecting that there is a mistery to be solved. Of course they try something or try to find some causality.
That’s the point!
I guess something like life. We weren't told to do anything just live in it and just like that money that comes out(tho irl it's random) there are times in life that makes us feel good so we try and recreate those things. I guess
Thats wat the experiement is al about
I agree. It's basically a useless experiment. It proves that when you set up a game show and tell people they are on a game show, they really believe it is a game show. Well, duh, what reason do they have to believe otherwise?
No that's the point, it recreates life in general. I'm not anti-religious but it goes along with the idea that if you pray it could be coincidence something happens not causality. The box demonstrates that if you are looking for something to cause something else it doesn't mean it does. Like when the lady walked out and into the room, and twice the money came out in conjunction to that, it doesn't mean the money came out because of that.
i begin to think that michael just really enjoys making people embarrass themselves for science and i'm definitely here for it.
honestly i appreciate the fact it didnt just dismiss belief systems. like personally even if religions just are placebo i see no difference. if it works for them it works for them
True, people believing in *normal* religions aren't bad and sometimes it does help better individuals. It's the people who leech off of those religions to profit, like people who claim to be creationists or flat earthers (because for some reason a lot of religious people seem to be really antiestablishment) but are actually just looking to peddle their dumb books on the topic and earn off of lying to and manipulating faithful people, or maybe they have a museum they want you to visit and spend money on, or the faith healers and fortune tellers, I remember one fortune teller who told a husband and wife that their daughter who had gone missing was already dead, only for the daughter to be found a couple years later already dead, but proven to be still alive even after the fortune telling occurred, and may have actually been found with earnest search efforts if the family actually endeavored to search for her, but of course they didn't because the fortune teller told them she was already dead. Oh and of course, I punctuated "normal" religions earlier because there are some cults or beliefs that involve self-harm, or worse, harm to the community and others around them, like anti-vaxxers, breatharianists, or the "5g caused corona beer virus" believers, one of which fired at engineers while they were fixing cell sites, and others which burned down cell towers and even some normal ass electric poles forcing some areas which need electricity to suddenly shut down and making communications far more difficult. Being stupid isn't a crime or a sin, but damn sometimes I wish some dummies and whoever "taught" them get some punishment.
"I felt the everlasting love and joy of god cover me"
"Yeah,this was an experiment"
"Yea,the church and it's symbols and rituals never really appealed to me"
That was such a quick 180 there's a whole Initial-D soundtrack for it
😂😂frr
She probably felt it because of something apart from the room. Did you consider that?
@@promethium-145 yep, still bs
@@chefcorinth I doubt it.
Vsauce, I had a dream that you hit me with your car while I was on a motorcycle and then proceeded to yell at me.
who doesn't really
But how much does it weigh?
@@kaibeattie2230 so edgy! Ooh good burn. Dumbass
Or did you?
A blessing honestly
18:12 glad to see Johnny Sins collaborating
JRussoC why u take my photo
@@zmanx88 lol
Okay, if I accidentally bump into Michael, my first belief will "Okay, is he testing me something now?"
I cracked up when he introduced himself as Father Callahan.