There are many forms of mind control tricks. They can range from the tricks a magician uses to make us believe that the lady really was sawn in half, through to sophisticated tricks that play on our subconscious mind and lead us to a conclusion that the person performing the mind control tricks wants us to reach.

Some of the best modern mind control tricks are ones that are "hidden in plain sight". This means that they are completely out in the open yet most of us ignore them as we think they are too obvious. They could range from a mind controller saying that the prize we want is definitely in the right hand envelope (our mind will then work out all sorts of reasons why the mind controller isn't telling the truth). Or they could be an emphasis on certain numbers during the natural "patter" that accompanies a mind control stage show.

Of course, mind control can go much further than this. Propaganda in war time is an attempt at mind control. Much modern day advertising plays tricks on our mind the imagery is filmed and produced in an attempt to make sure that we move in a certain direction. Advertisers can tell how effective their techniques are by looking at their sales graphs, so they have the extra feedback of how we react to their advertising, not what we say to interviewers or other people when we're asked what we think about their adverts.

If you search for conspiracy theories on the internet, you'll be bombarded with different ideas about how mind control tricks are implemented and used. How much of this is true is, of course, for you to decide. Keep an open mind when you are reading such articles.

Most of the time, mind control tricks are used for harmless entertainment. Search for Derren Brown if you want to experience one of the current masters of mind control.