Translator: Sue Kronenfeld Reviewer: Denise RQ
Good evening, everyone. Thank you very much for your welcome.
I'm really touched to be here today, because, as I think you just said,
I studied at this business school, and during my education,
I made an extraordinary discovery.
In my second year, I left to study in Hong Kong,
and it was there that I discovered magic, completely by chance.
Indeed, it was just a friend
who gave me a video with some card tricks,
and I began to work on it,
because you have plenty of free time when living abroad.
(Laughter)
And it was only a few weeks later, at Lan Kwai Fong, for those who know it,
that I became aware that I'd discovered a real communication tool.
A tool, in fact, which allows strong emotions to be triggered.
Two years later, I went abroad again, this time to Copenhagen,
and I actually studied during the day
and worked at night in the new theater of Copenhagen.
And there I became aware that that passion might become more than a passion,
maybe even a career.
And in general, when I have an idea in my head,
I think I'm rather stubborn,
so I decided to write my thesis on the diversion of attention,
and to do my final internship in an art agency.
All that brings us to 2012,
when I graduated and I decided to become an illusionist.
And it's funny as there's a lot in common between the work of an illusionist
and most careers people follow after graduating from business school.
(Laughter)
Because really, the job of an illusionist is to confuse your perceptions of reality.
To fool your brain.
Now how does that work? It's relatively simple.
What happens is that every day
we receive lots of information and stimuli through our five senses,
and in fact, it is our brain that deals with this information,
to create for us our picture of reality, or rather, our perception of reality.
But unfortunately, or rather, fortunately for us illusionists,
our perception of reality is not always accurate
because our brain cannot deal with all this information.
Consequently, it takes short cuts, taking inspiration from our experience,
or rather, from what it thinks it knows.
For example, here; read this sign.
[Sign: We are in in a business school.]
It's fairly short.
OK, who read: "We are in a business school"?
Raise your hand. Most of the room.
I'll let you reread it two or three times. I think some of you have seen it.
In fact, it says, "We are in in a business school."
But this second "in" here is unimportant information,
and worse even, it has no meaning.
So you pay no attention to it, and your brain forgets it.
So there's an example of a short cut that our brain can take,
that makes us make a mistake,
because we think we see one thing, when that's not really what is written.
Sometimes, the shortcuts that our brain takes
can allow us to make sense of things.
Look. [Sign: Teh tehme of tihs dya is inovantoin.]
Who did not understand the message on this sign at all?
Almost no one!
Even though most of the letters are out of order.
So that is proof that our brain is always interpreting reality.
And it is a process which is often unconscious,
something that can't be controlled.
For example, I'll choose a member of the audience
by throwing one of these bricks. (Laughter)
I'm going to do it, look. Oops, you see that...
Does that make you giggle? Is there anyone you don't like?
(Laughter)
You can tell me, because I aim well.
No, really there is no danger, because this brick is made of foam,
but everything is there to lead your brain to think that it's a real brick.
The same visual appearance, the sound of the fall of the real brick,
and therefore you make the error.
Another question in the same vein: who here thinks I have vision problems?
Raise your hand. A few people. Ah, now you are wary! (Laughter)
Maybe an obvious question, but maybe not so obvious,
because two years ago, I was operated on for nearsightedness,
and since then, I've removed the lenses from these glasses. (Laughter)
Therefore, I no longer have lenses or glasses. Pfft!
(Applause)
For those who are bothered by that, - Thank you! - they are just here. There.
Actually, mistakes like this one in the interpretation of reality
are made every day.
Some of them we don't even notice, and others that we're aware of.
For example, when you're in a restaurant, you call out to someone,
thinking he is the waiter when he is a customer.
Thus, what is funny is that the workings of our brain
make an illusionist's job much easier.
And even if you have an overdeveloped analyzing ability
because I know some of you in this hall
saw that fake brick because you're from the North,
or you like glasses without lenses, there is still a weapon to fool you,
an almost infallible weapon called the diversion of attention,
which is really more like the control of attention.
Before going in the details of attention, I'm going to show you a short video.
(Video)
[People often ask me if one can cheat at poker.
Indeed, by shuffling the cards, one can easily take advantage.
Well, that is maybe a little bit cliché,
but the advantage is that you can also make them disappear.
So, guys, shall we play a game?]
OK, after this video, who thinks you have to watch out for me in poker?
(Laughter)
Another question in the same vein:
Who thinks that poker was really the point of this video?
I'll make you doubt everything!
I'll show you the same video, filmed at a wider angle,
so you see what really happened.
(Video) [People often ask me if one can cheat at poker.
Indeed, by marking the cards, one can easily take advantage.
So that may be a little bit cliché,
but the advantage is that you can also make them disappear.
(Laughter)
So, guys, shall we play a game?]
(Laughter)
So that was what really happened.
If you watch carefully, seven elements changed.
From left to right, first the frame. The tablecloth disappeared.
The glass of water turned into a glass of soda.
Disappearance of the vest and tie.
The color of the cards also, which you can't see on the screen.
And finally, the writing on the paperboard.
Are you sure you saw everything?
All this is tied to the choice of our attention,
because our attention is our ability to concentrate on our surroundings,
and as a result, our attention has to continually choose
what information is important and is going to be treated by our brain,
and what's going to be set aside.
In the case of the video, most of your attention
centers on the cards and this poker story,
so you completely ignored the changes in the background.
Who saw the seven changes? Ouch.
Two changes? Maybe one change?
A few people. The vest, I imagine?
That was big, but still, most people didn't see it.
So that is definite proof that our attention can't be everywhere.
And it's truly a challenge for our attention,
because we are bombarded daily with stimuli, specially in the modern era,
with different technological innovations about which we'll speak all evening,
or even something simple,
different kinds of advertisements or notifications on our smartphones.
So some people see themselves as more and more connected,
but are less present as a result.
Until in some countries, we come to this:
[Cellphones walk in this lane at your own risk / No cellphones]
And this is quite real.
The photo was taken in Chongqing, a town in Sichuan, apparently,
the most populous town in China where a special geek sidewalk was made
because there were too many pedestrian accidents. (Laughter)
So once more, I choose an extreme example,
but only to back up my argument and have some impact,
and it proves that our attention cannot be everywhere.
Besides, I am going to prove it to you in another way.
I'm really going to choose someone this time.
Here, sir. What is your first name?
Bruno, can you get up and join me on the stage?
We're both going to try something. (Applause)
Ladies and gentlemen: Bruno.
Put your hands like this. Perfect!
Now, very simply, we roll up this sleeve here, and that sleeve.
I'd like you to squeeze this brick very hard,
till it almost disappears in your hands.
Go on, press, squeeze very hard.
Bruno, do you think we can make it disappear from your hands
and reappear in your pocket by tapping like this, or do you think I'm nuts?
Well, it's you who are nuts! No, don't move, Bruno, seriously.
Relax your arms a bit, we'll count to three, on three we tap the pockets.
If this works, the brick will disappear.
You must believe it, Bruno. Ready? On three.
One, two, three. Tap on your pocket. Has the brick disappeared? (Laughter)
No? I'm sorry. Well, when it doesn't work...
I'll check if it didn't end up in another pocket; sometimes it happens.
May I check? Here, for example. No, that has nothing to do with it.
Or maybe in this pocket here, or this pocket here.
No, there's nothing there.
Well Bruno, when that doesn't work,
I have a habit of giving gifts so you didn't come for nothing,
and it's from the whole audience.
We didn't know what you like,
so we thought the best way to make you happy,
would be to give you something you already own.
(Laughter)
If you want to tell what happened to you, Bruno...
take back your Nokia; it's even the latest model... (Laughter)
Here.
And the thing I like best to steal, just here, your watch, Bruno.
Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen: Bruno.
(Applause)
So I hope you are beginning to believe me
when I tell you that our attention can only follow one thing at a time.
In fact, the more we concentrate on something specific,
the less we see the other things that surround us.
Bruno was so focused on that brick and that idiotic trip,
we know that won't work but we want to believe it,
and thus, we can steal his phone and his watch.
Now you'll see Bruno shortly, at the exit,
and you'll say to him, "Bruno, did you feel the watch going?"
And he'll tell you, "No." (Laughter)
And yes, your body felt it, but you didn't pay attention to it.
It's a little like when you're tinkering, and suddenly you realize you're bleeding.
And you think, "That's funny, because I don't think I felt that cut."
And once again, it's simply that your attention was elsewhere.
We can only follow one thing at a time.
I am sorry to dispel the myth, but we can only do one thing well at a time.
Even you women. (Laughter)
This modern man, we forget him.
There's an analogy by a French neuroscience researcher
which explains that attention is a bit like a blanket that's too small.
You know--you try to sleep and your head's cold,
so you pull the blanket up, and your feet are cold and so forth.
Our attention is a little like that, and therefore, it can be diverted.
It's not simply, "look there," and I do my thing here.
It's that your attention is led in a false direction,
so that it makes poor choices which allows us to fool your brain.
There now, I have spoken quite a bit about the limits of attention,
because I find it interesting,
That allows us to understand how it functions,
but it's not very optimistic to speak of limits.
So I'd like us to end this talk
with a much more positive collective experiment
on the potential of our attention.
So in the same way, I'm going to choose another person.
Maybe over here...
I throw the brick, not the real one.
Your first name? (Laughter)
A brave one! (Laughter)
What is your first name? Josephine, can you get up, please?
(Applause)
Now Josephine, I'm going to hand you this calculator.
I want you to make one or two calculations,
to make sure it's working.
And I'll need another person.
Maybe over here. Your first name? Harold, can you get up too?
Do you have a phone on you? Perfect. Turn it on.
I won't steal anything from you, Josephine; don't panic.
Turn on your phone and open the calculator. Is it OK?
Josephine, is it OK? The calculator works? Can you show me you have reset to zero?
Do we have a deal? Perfect.
Now Josephine and Harold, think of a two-digit number.
Do you have it in mind?
Enter it into the calculator, multiply it by another two-digit number,
and multiply it again by one last two-digit number, and press "equals".
Josephine, Harold, we're in agreement, the numbers, that happens in your head,
not there and not there.
We're going to try something. Stay focused on your number.
Do you have it in mind? Can you memorize it?
Concentrate only on the number, to start with.
Now, Josephine, empty your mind. Yes, I know, it's fast. (Laughter)
Not for you, Josephine.
If I say "5" to you, does that sound familiar? Do we agree?
There are five digits in your number, and the middle one's a five.
Yes, Harold!
Repeat the whole number several times in your head, please.
Hide the calculator well, repeat the number in your head.
OK, one digit comes up many times.
OK, watch Harold carefully for the next few seconds.
I'm going to ask you a few questions, and each time, say no.
We'll try to see when you're lying to us,
your body language will betray you at some point.
You just have to pay attention, as usual. Harold, say "no" each time.
It's a six, seven, eight, nine. Did you see it or not?
The smile twitched at seven, right? Wait, I think I'm going to write it down.
I have to find my marker. Excellent.
Josephine, maybe repeat the first digit in your head several times.
Go on, repeat it. It's like I could hear: "Nine, nine, nine...", right?
It's funny because it begins with a nine,
the largest digit, and ends with the smallest digit, the one.
Right? That's good. Josephine, I have an idea. I'd say...
And Harold, we said that there was a seven that occurred several times.
Repeat your whole number.
OK, it occurs three times.
No big deal. In a moment I'll show you the signs.
If the numbers I wrote correspond to the numbers in your heads,
nod to approve.
And normally you should have the whole hall in a frenzy.
At least, I hope so...
(Laughter)
Josephine, you're thinking of 93,531.
And Harold, 37,717.
That's right, are you nodding?
Yes!
(Laughter) (Applause)
Wait, it's worse than that, in fact.
Because from the start of the experiment,
I've tried to influence you in that direction.
I don't know if you paid attention to my instructions, how I gave them to you.
You think we got there by accident? And anyway, what is "accident"?
Because the results correspond perfectly to a prediction that I had made,
which dates back to Tuesday on Facebook.
Go ahead, take out your phones. We won't say it, no.
Really, go on Facebook, search and type "Gus illusioniste"; we'll stay in contact.
(Laughter)
Are you there? I see there are grandparents in the hall.
I've thought of everything. The post is just here.
It's a photo of my little sister,
and if you zoom in on the cards and consider that ace as number one,
you have 93,531 and 37,717. (Applause)
No, wait, wait, it's worse than that.
I'm going to prove to you that this experiment could only happen here.
It was especially created for this TEDx of November 22, 2014,
and that for a very specific reason, because everything that's happening now,
is happening in the IESEG in the city of Lille!
(Applause)
Thank you very much.
Before leaving you, I'd like to show you a quote
that I think deserves 100% of our attention,
because there's a large number of students in the hall.
"Our time is as limited as our attention."
So what I'd like is for you not to rush into auditing too fast
because it's cool on your resume
(Laughter)
and after my presentation, for you to see your attention
as a tool at the service of your ambitions.
Because I'm convinced that today, if we place 100% of our attention,
and therefore, of our energy, into a project that we really desire,
we can achieve what we want.
Thanks very much to all of you, and thanks to IESEG.
(Applause)