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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Episode 1

    • January 28, 2008

    On today's episode you will learn how to get complete strangers do exactly what you ask them, increase your wages by following a few simple instructions, and sharpen your powers of perception to avoid ever getting conned.

  • S01E02 Episode 2

    • January 29, 2008

    The three psychologists ask whether more expensive food really does taste better. Learn how to stop people from invading your personal space, sell bits of old junk at hugely inflated prices and convince an entire room of people they can detect things that aren't actually there.

  • S01E03 Episode 3

    • January 30, 2008

    The three psychologists look into the social relevance of joke-telling. Learn how to get help from complete strangers when you need it most, break the superstition trap that we all fall into, and make people laugh at your jokes.

  • S01E04 Episode 4

    • January 31, 2008

    Learn how to tell whether children are lying to you, make people feel drunk without them touching a drop of alcohol, and resist the urge to eat junk food.

  • S01E05 Episode 5

    • February 1, 2008

    How much do you remember of what you've seen this week? The team will put what you've learned during the week to the test. How much have you taken in? The tables have turned - this time the experiment is on you. In this show you will see how much of a People Watcher you really are.

  • S01E06 Episode 6

    • February 4, 2008

    A look at the psychology of queuing, using hidden cameras to reveal how much queue jumping the public will tolerate before they complain. Also demonstrated is a test showing how praising a group can positively affect their performance

  • S01E07 Episode 7

    • February 5, 2008

    Presenters Richard Wiseman, Emma Kenny, Jack Lewis and Sara Clarke perform hidden camera stunts to demonstrate psychological techniques for improving speed dating success, and how to convince an audience of dowsing for radiation or false recognition in order to extract personal information

  • S01E08 Episode 8

    • February 6, 2008

    Jack Lewis uses a technique called negging - initially disagreeing with someone before eventually agreeing - while speed-dating. The Mindmaster demonstrates that mobile phone users are subject to high levels of radiation, and the team attempt to extract information from participating members of the public

  • S01E09 Episode 9

    • February 7, 2008

    Three psychologists perform a series of hidden camera stunts to demonstrate why people behave the way they do in everyday situations, focusing on the perception and reality of randomness, and the impact of subliminal messaging

  • S01E10 Episode 10

    • February 8, 2008

    Special quiz episode of the psychology show, testing how well viewers remember previous experiments with a series of multiple choice questions on queue busting, false recognition, and negging and mirroring

  • S01E11 Episode 11

    • February 11, 2008

    The Mind Masters take over a shopping centre to reveal the psychology of shoplifting, test people's perceptiveness and observation with a picture-counting exercise and set another group of subjects a task to demonstrate the effect of music on productivity

  • S01E12 Episode 12

    • February 12, 2008

    Jack Lewis convinces passers-by he can levitate a random volunteer sitting in a chair on the South Bank. Whether it is magic or a trick will be discussed by the three regular psychologists Richard Wiseman, Emma Kenny and Sara Clarke

  • S01E13 Episode 13

    • February 13, 2008

    Sara Clarke offers passers by a free personality test, but gives every participant the same analysis and asks them how well it describes them. The team also examine how people react to accidents in an office. With Richard Wiseman, Emma Kenny and Jack Lewis

  • S01E14 Episode 14

    • February 14, 2008

    Three psychologists create a series of engineered hidden-camera scenarios enabling them to assess the importance of a good first impression in an interview situation, and explore the practical application and usefulness of a picture recognition memory system

  • S01E15 Episode 15

    • February 15, 2008

    A picture recognition test and a levitating chair are used to demonstrate why people act the way they do in everyday situations, analyzing psychological reactions and behavior.

  • S01E16 Episode 16

    • February 18, 2008

    A team of psychologists perform a hidden-camera stunt in a shop, where the shop assistant tests subjects on their willingness to perform favors, and other participants find out how lucky they are

  • S01E17 Episode 17

    • February 19, 2008

    An experiment demonstrates how customers can be persuaded to pay for a non-existent haircut, while another tests people's honesty when they feel they are being watched. The results are then analyzed by Richard Wiseman, Emma Kenny, Jack Lewis and Sara Clarke

  • S01E18 Episode 18

    • February 20, 2008

    An experiment demonstrating how to spot a liar and an art test involving 20 upwards-pointing arrows and a brick are used to demonstrate why people act the way they do in everyday situations, analysing psychological reactions and behaviour

  • S01E19 Episode 19

    • February 21, 2008

    An experiment is constructed to test the preconceptions accompanying physical attractiveness and a number of volunteers take part in the Stroop test which measures mental vitality and flexibility

  • S01E20 Episode 20

    • February 22, 2008

    A physical attractiveness test and an honesty box are used to demonstrate why people act the way they do in everyday situations, analysing psychological reactions and behaviour