Psychological Scientist

Dr Pailhès earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she pioneered experimental studies on magicians’ forcing techniques — subtle methods of influencing people’s choices without their awareness. 

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Her work has now expanded into placebo effects, symbolic thinking, and the role of rituals in shaping human behavior, blending rigorous experimental design with creative, real-world applications.

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​Her research sits at the crossroads of cognitive psychology, the science of magic, and the psychology of belief — asking how illusions, rituals, and stories can alter what we perceive as possible, and how we might use these same mechanisms to create “real magic” in our own lives.