Episode Summary
Derren Brown is a psychological illusionist who can predict, suggest, and even control human behavior. Sponsors:Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save $350 on the Pod 4 Ultra)LinkedIn Ads, the go-to tool for B2B marketers and advertisers who want to drive brand awareness and generate leads: LinkedIn.com/TFS ($100 LinkedIn ad credit)ExpressVPN high-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service: https://www.expressvpn.com/tim (Get 3 extra months free with a 12-month plan)Timestamps:[00:00] Start [06:45] Sacrifice, The Push, and Apocalypse.[12:21] Derren's transition from student to magician.[14:43] How Martin Taylor inspired Derren to pursue hypnosis.[16:42] Strange audience reactions to hypnosis.[20:00] Hypnosis, mentalism, and cold reading.[24:34] How a TV medium uses hot reading techniques.[26:22] How can someone learn to be a healthy skeptic?[34:24] How learning magic influenced Derren's skepticism and faith.[40:57] Why did Derren wait until his 30s to come out?[43:18] Finding meaning.[47:06] High status struggles.[48:20] Making sense of the human experience.[56:59] Ambition and productivity.[01:02:25] The counterintuitive assembly of Derren's creative projects.[01:09:17] Ensuring ethics and safety in TV social experiments.[01:15:50] Suggestion as self-defense.[01:20:27] Why Derren takes care not to abuse his superpowers in real life.[01:24:01] Recommended reading.[01:28:02] TED Talks in treacherous terrain.[01:29:53] A new belief or habit that has improved Derren's life.[01:33:27] Derren's billboard and parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: