Eric Mead: The magic of the placebo

Prevoditelj: Tibor Vrancic Recezent: Igor Dobec

For some time I have been interested in

Već neko vrijeme se zanimam za

the placebo effect,

placebo učinak,

which might seem like an odd thing

što može izgledati kao neka neobična stvar

for a magician to be interested in,

da to zanima jednog mađioničara,

unless you think of it in the terms that I do,

osim ako promišljate o tome na način kao ja,

which is, "Something fake

a to je "nešto lažno

is believed in enough by somebody

u što netko vjeruje dovoljno jako

that it becomes something real."

ono postaje stvarno."

In other words, sugar pills

Drugim riječima, šećerne pilule

have a measurable effect in certain kinds of studies,

imaju mjerljiv učinak u nekim vrstama istraživanja,

the placebo effect,

placebo učinak,

just because the person thinks

samo zato što osoba misli

that what's happening to them is a pharmaceutical

da ono što joj se događa je farmaceutsko

or some sort of a --

ili neka vrsta...

for pain management, for example,

Za kontrolu boli, na primjer,

if they believe it enough there is a measurable effect in the body

ako u to vjeruju dovoljno, postoji mjerljiv učinak u tijelu

called the placebo effect.

koji se naziva placebo učinak.

Something fake becomes

Nešto lažno postaje

something real

nešto stvarno

because of someone's perception of it.

zbog nečije percepcije toga.

In order for us to understand each other,

U cilju da razumijemo jedni druge

I want to start by showing you a rudimentary,

želio bih početi s pokazivanjem jednog zastarjelog,

very simple magic trick.

veoma jednostavnog mađioničarskog trika.

And I'm going to show you how it works. This is a trick

I pokazat ću vam kako on djeluje. Ovo je trik

that's been in every children's magic book since at least the 1950s.

koji se nalazi u svakoj dječjoj mađioničarskoj knjizi još od 1950-tih.

I learned it myself from Cub Scout Magic in the 1970s.

Sam sam ga naučio od Cub Scout Magica tamo 1970-tih.

I'll do it for you, and then I'll explain it.

Prikazat ću vam ga, a zatim objasniti.

And then I'll explain why I explained it.

A onda ću objasniti zašto sam ga objasnio.

So, here's what happens.

Onda, evo što se događa.

The knife, which you can examine; my hand, which you could examine.

Nož, kojega možete provjeriti; moja ruka, koju možete provjeriti.

I'm just going to hold the knife in my fist like this.

Jednostavno ću držati nož u svojoj šaci ovako.

I'll get my sleeve back.

Zavrnuti ću rukave.

And to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve

I da bi bili uvjereni da baš ništa ne ide gore ili dolje mojim rukavom

I'm just going to squeeze my wrist right here.

jednostavno ću stegnuti svoje zapešće evo ovdje.

That way you can see that at no time

Na taj način možete vidjeti da nikako

can anything travel, as long as I'm squeezing there

ništa ne može doći. Sve dok stežem ovdje

nothing can go up or down my sleeve.

ništa ne može ići uz ili niz moj rukav.

And the object of this is quite simple.

A svrha ovoga je prilično jednostavna.

I'm going to open my hand,

Otvorit ću svoju ruku,

and hopefully, if all is well,

i nadajmo se, ako sve bude u redu,

my pure animal magnetism will hold the knife.

da će moj čisti životinjski magnetizam zadržati nož.

In fact it's held so tightly in place

U stvari on ga drži tako čvrsto na mjestu

that I can shake it,

da ga ja mogu tresti,

and the knife does not come off.

a nož ne pada.

Nothing goes up or down my sleeve,

Ništa ne ide uz ili niz moj rukav,

no trickery. And you can examine everything.

nema nikakvog varanja. Možete provjeriti sve.

Ta-da!

Ta-da!

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

So, this is a trick that I often teach to young children

Ovo je trik kojega često učim malu djecu

that are interested in magic, because you can learn

koja se zanimaju za mađioničarstvo, jer se može naučiti

a great deal about deception by studying

mnogo o obmani učeći

this very -- even though it's a very simple trick methodologically.

ovaj -- čak iako je metodološki veoma jednostavan trik.

Probably many of you in the room know this trick.

Vjerojatni mnogi od vas ovdje u sali poznaju ovaj trik.

What happens is this.

Ono što se događa je sljedeće.

I hold the knife in my hand.

Držim nož u svojoj ruci.

I say I'm going to grab hold of my wrist

Kažem da ću stegnuti svoje zapešće

to make sure nothing goes up or down my sleeve,

da bi bili sigurni da ništa neće stići uz ili niz moj rukav,

that is a lie.

to je laž.

The reason I'm holding onto my wrist

Razlog zbog kojega pridržavam zapešće

is because that's actually the secret

je taj što je u stvari baš to tajna

of the illusion.

ove iluzije.

In a moment when my hand moves from facing you

U trenutku kada se moja ruka pomiče od vašeg izravnog pogleda

to being away from you,

da bi se okrenula od vas,

this finger right here, my index finger is just going to shift

ovaj prst ovdje, moj kažiprst će se pomjeriti

from where it is, to a position

s mjesta gdje je bio, na poziciju

pointing out like this.

da pokazuje, evo ovako.

Nice one.

Dobar štos.

Someone who didn't have a childhood is out there.

Ali za nekoga koji nije imao djetinjstvo.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So, it goes like this, from here, right.

Znači, ide ovako, odavde, je li tako.

And as I move around my finger shifts.

I kad pomjeram, moj prst se pomiče.

And we could talk about why this is deceptive,

Možemo razgovarati o tome zašto je ovo obmanjujuće,

why you don't notice there are only three fingers down here,

zašto niste zamijetili da je tamo dolje samo tri prsta,

because the mind, and the way it processes information,

zbog uma i načina kako on obrađuje informacije,

it doesn't count, one, two, three. It groups them.

on ne broji, jedan, dva, tri. On ih grupira.

But that's not really what this is about. Right? And then I open my hand up.

No ovo ne može biti stvarno. Zar ne? I onda otvorim šaku.

Obviously it's clinging there, not by animal magnetism,

Očigledno je priljubljen, ne zbog životinjskog magnetizma,

but by chicanery,

nego zbog neke varke,

my index finger being there.

moj kažiprst je tamo.

And then when I close my finger, same thing,

I onda kada zatvaram prste, ista stvar,

as I move back, this motion

kako pomičem natrag, ovaj pokret

kind of covers the moving back of my finger.

vrsta zaklona za vraćanje prsta.

I take this hand away. You give the knife out.

Sklanjam ovu ruku. Uzimate nož van.

There is a trick you can do for your friends and neighbors. Thanks.

To je trik kojega možete pokazati vašim prijateljima i susjedima. Hvala.

Now, (Laughter)

Sada, (smijeh)

what does that have to do with the placebo effect?

kakve ovo ima veze s placebo učinkom?

I read a study a year or so ago

Pročitao sam istraživanje, prije nekih godinu dana

that really blew my mind wide open.

koje me je uistinu zaprepastilo.

I'm not a doctor or a researcher, so this, to me,

Nisam liječnik niti istraživač, i ovo je za mene

was an astonishing thing.

bila zapanjujuća stvar.

It turns out that if you administer

Ispada da ako dajete

a placebo in the form of a white pill,

placebo u obliku bijele pilule,

that's like aspirin shaped --

to je oblika kao aspirin,

it's just a round white pill -- it has some certain measurable effect.

to je samo okrugla bijela pilula, da to ima određeni mjerljivi učinak.

But if you change the form that you give the placebo in,

No, ako promijenite oblik kojega dajete kao placebo,

like you make a smaller pill,

kao recimo načinite manju pilulu,

and color it blue, and stamp a letter into it,

i obojate je u plavo, i utisnete slovo u nju,

it is actually measurably more effective.

to daje veće mjerljive učinke.

Even though neither one of these things

Mada niti jedna od ovih stvari

has any pharmaceutical -- they're sugar pills.

nema ništa farmaceutsko -- to su pilule od šećera.

But a white pill is not as good as a blue pill.

Međutim, bijela pilula nije tako dobra kao plava.

What? (Laughter) That really flipped me out.

Što? (Smijeh) To me uistinu izbezumilo.

Turns out though, that that's not even where it stops.

Ispada da, ali to nije sve.

If you have capsules,

Ako imate kapsule,

they're more effective than tablets in any form.

one su učinkovitije od tableta bilo kojeg oblika.

A colored capsule, that's yellow on one end and red on the other

Obojane kapsule, to je žuta na jednom kraju i crvena na drugom

is better than a white capsule.

su bolje nego bijele kapsule.

Dosage has something to do with this.

S ovim u vezi je i doziranje.

One pill twice a day

Jedna pilula dvaput na dan

is not as good at three pills --

nije tako dobra kao tri pilule --

I don't remember the statistic now. Sorry.

Sad se ne sjećam statistike. Žao mi je.

But the point is ...

Ali poanta je...

(Laughter) ... these dosages have something to do with it.

(Smijeh) ... da ova doziranja imaju nešto s tim.

And the form has something to do with it.

I oblik ima veze s ovim.

And if you want the ultimate in placebo,

No ako želite maksimum kod placeba

you've go to the needle.

ide se na iglu.

Right? A syringe with some inert --

Je li tako? Šprica sa nečim inertnim --

a couple CCs of some inert something,

par kubičnih centimatara s nekoliko inertnog nečega,

and you inject this into a patient ...

i to ubrizgate u pacijenta ...

Well this is such a powerful image in their mind,

To je strašno moćna slika u njihovim imovima,

it's so much stronger than the white pill.

Mnogo je snažnija nego bijela pilula.

It's a really, this graph, well I'll show it to you

Stvarno je, taj graf, pokazat ću vam

some other time when we have slides.

nekom drugom prilikom kad budemo imali slajdove

The point is

Poanta je

the white pill is not as good as the blue pill

bijela pilula nije toliko dobra kao što je plava

is not as good as the capsule is not as good as the needle.

nije tako dobra kao kapsula, nije dobra koliko igla.

And none of it has any real pharmaceutical quality,

A niti jedno od njih nemaju stvaran farmaceutski učinak.

it's only your belief that makes it real

Jedino je vaše vjerovanje to koje ih čini stvarnim

in your body and makes a stronger effect.

za vaše tijelo i izaziva jači učinak.

I wanted to see if I could take that idea

Želio sam se uvjeriti mogu li koristiti tu ideju

and apply it to a magic trick.

i primijeniti je kroz mađioničarski trik.

And take something that is obviously a fake trick

Prikazati nešto što je očigledno lažan trik

and make it seem real.

i učiniti ga da izgleda stvaran.

And we know from that study

A iz tog istraživanja znamo

that when you want reality, you go to the needle.

ako želite stvarnost pribjegavate igli.

This is a seven-inch hatpin. It's very, very sharp,

Ovo je igla za šešire od sedam inča. Vrlo je oštra.

and I'm going to just sterilize it a tiny bit.

Ja ću je samo malo sterilizirati.

This is really my flesh. This is not

Ovo je uistinu moje meso. Ovo nije

Damian's special-grown flesh.

specijalno uzgojeno meso kod Damiana.

That's my skin right there. This is not a Hollywood special effect.

Ovo ovdje je moja koža. Ovo nije holivudski specijalni efekt.

I'm going to pierce my skin

Probušiti ću svoju kožu

and run this needle through to the other side.

i progurati iglu preko, na drugu stranu.

If you're queasy -- (Laughs)

Ako ste gadljivi-- (Smijeh)

if you faint easily -- I was doing this for some friends

ako lako padate u nesvjest -- Ovo sam pokazao nekim prijateljima

in the hotel room last night, and some people that I didn't know,

sinoć u hotelskoj sobi, i neki ljudi koje nisam poznavao,

and one woman almost passed out.

i jedna žena su gotovo pali u nesvjest.

So, I suggest if you get queasy easy

Prema tome, predlažem ako lako gubite svijest

that you look away for about the next 30 --

da gledate u stranu sljedećih 30 --

in fact, you know what, I'll do the first bad part behind it.

u stvari, znate što, napravit ću prvi grozni dio iza.

You'll get to see, you can look away too if you'd like to.

Vidjet ćete, a možete također gledati u stranu ako želite.

So, here is what happens, right here,

Onda, evo što se ovdje događa,

the beginning of my flesh

početak moga mesa

at the lower part of my arm I just make

na donjem dijelu moje ruke jednostavno ću načiniti

a little pierce.

mali ubod.

I'm sorry, man. Am I freaking you out?

Čovječe žao mi je. Izluđujem li te?

OK, and then just through my skin a tiny bit,

Onda jednostavno kroz kožu pomalo

and then out the other side like this.

i onda na drugu stranu, ovako.

Now, essentially we're in the same position we were in

Sad, u osnovi smo u istoj poziciji kao što smo bili

with the knife trick.

kod trika s nožem.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Sort of.

Nekoj vrsti.

But you can't count my fingers right now can you?

No, sad mi ne možete izbrojati prste, zar ne?

So, let me show them to you. That's one, two

Onda, dajte da vam ih pokažem. Ovo je jedan, dva

three, four, five.

tri, četiri, pet.

Yes, well...

Da, pa ...

I know what people think when they see this.

Znam što ljudi misle kada ovo vide.

They go, "Well, he's certainly not dumb enough

Oni će, "Pa, nije valjda toliko glup

to stab himself through the skin to entertain us for a few minutes.

da probode sebe kroz kožu da bi nas zabavio koju minutu."

So, let me give you a little peek.

Dat ću vam da malo provirite.

How's that look out there? Pretty good.

Kako vam to izgleda s te strane? Prilično dobro.

(Laughs)

(Smijeh)

Yeah, I know. (Laughs)

Da, da. Znam. (Smijeh)

And the people in the back go, "OK, I didn't really see that."

A oni ljudi odozada misle, "U redu, u stvari ništa nisam vidio."

People in the satellite room are starting to move in now.

Ljudi iz sporedne sobe počinju sada ulaziti.

Let me give you good close look at this.

Hajde da vam pružim dobar pogled izbliza.

That really is my skin. That is not a Hollywood special effect.

Ovo je zbilja moja koža. Ovo nije specijalni efekt iz Hollywood-a.

That's my flesh, and I can twist that around.

Ovo je moje meso, i mogu ovo pokretati okolo.

I'm sorry. If you're getting queasy, look away,

Žao mi je. Ako počinjete gubiti svijest, gledajte u stranu,

don't look at the thing.

ne gledajte ovo.

People in the back or people on video years from now watching this

Ljudi odozada ili ljudi koji godinama gledaju ovo na videu

will go, "Well yeah, that looks kind of neat

misle, "No, dobro, ovo je spretno izveo

in some sort of effect there, but if it were real he would be --

u pitanju je neki štos, jer kad bi ovo bilo stvarno on bi --

see there's a hole there and a hole there, if it were real he would be bleeding.

vidite tamo je rupa, kad bi to bila prava rupa on bi krvario."

Well let me work up some blood for you.

Pa onda dajte da vam stvorim malo krvi za vas.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Yes, there it is.

Da, evo je.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Normally now, I would take the needle out.

Normalno, sada bih trebao izvaditi iglu.

I would clean off my arm, and I would show you that there are no wounds.

Trebao bih očistiti ruku, i pokazati vam da nema nikakvih rana,

But I think in this context

Ali mislim da u ovom kontekstu

and with the idea of taking something fake

i s idejom da izvodim nešto lažno

and making it into something real,

a pretvarajući to u nešto stvarno,

I'm just going to leave it there,

jednostavno ću je ostaviti tamo,

and walk off the stage.

i otići s pozornice.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I will be seeing you several times over the next few days.

U sljedećih nekoliko dana, viđat ću vas pokatkad.

I hope you're looking forward to that. Thank you very much.

Nadam se da to jedva čekate. Hvala vam puno.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)