For years, I have stressed the value of learning magic. I have composed a small list of the benefits of learning magic. Any input, or anything to add?
Thanks in advance,
Scott
Why Magic?

• Meet new people
• Promotes reading
• Critical thinking
• Develops imagination
• Overcome shyness
• Problem solving skills
• Learn public speaking
• Develop social skills
• Enter the Theater Arts
• Learn from famous magicians
• Earn Money

Incessant repetitive actions are soothing...

Learning the fact that everything is not as it seems. In a nutshell, don't believe everything you see.

Great list, Scott!

How about "Elevates grandfathers to demigod status?"

I presented a magic history lecture for a fun home school social group yesterday. As I was pointing out the benefits of magic theory to applications like military, religion and marketing one of the teens shouted out, "...and meeting girls!" One of the Magic Youth teens with me responded with, "Yeah. We're still waiting on that one to kick in."

Amaze your friends and influence people.

Conditions one to look for "the other right answer" in life

I wanted to entertain and since my art and Accapella group didn't fly I got curious about magic. I guess the bottom line is that I like things where I can be creative and bring joy to people.

Most especially with both hands.

Helps you understand how easily you can be deceived
Promotes healthy cynicism and skepticism
Teaches showmanship and... ... ... ... ... timing.

Entertain and amaze people, overall, giving them a good time.


Jonathan

You can get a cookie from the jar, and no one the wiser...

Someone who incessantly rocks has OCD

Someone who incessantly plays with cards or coins is a magician

Which is sorta half-stolen from Whit's comment, but I only steal from the best!

Otherwise I agree with what everyone else has said.

It teaches you just how easy it is to be fooled and that self-deception is the easiest thing of all. (An understanding sadly lacking in today's America.)

It gives you a reason to practice fine motor skills and stay limber.

It stretches the creative muscles.

It is a hobby that entertains others and can last a lifetime without getting boring.

Its a very friendly community. I can't think of many others where professionals and amateurs mingle so freely, and equally.

And *when you might the right girl* (or guy) it will impress her/him. Anyway, it did mine

Might? silly spell checker, that word was "meet"

Magic is psychology in practice. it teaches that our perceptions are fundamentally flawed(did you know you have a spot on each eye that you can't see anything out of?). It teaches that its not what actually happens but what the mind interprets as actually happens (the divided consciousness theory) and it shows us that sometimes the obvious path is not the way things came to be (gestalt principle of perception). I read somewhere that magic is fundamentally an intellectual procedure. while this is mostly true it is not exclusively so. besides you can't beat people in the magic community, their hilarious.

Not only that, but the entire high resolution area of your retina is a 2-degree arc. The rest is peripheral vision. We create an impression of a world in focus by constantly scanning our eyes around and assembling the fragments in our head. But if you practice really fixing on ONE spot and then looking at what you can really see, its really very little.

Yeah! its surprising how our senses actually work as opposed to how we think this is going to work.