Learn About Telekinesis and What Science Says

What Is Telekinesis and How Do People Define It?

Telekinesis is the idea that a person can move or change physical objects using only their mind, without touching them or using any tools or machines. The word comes from Greek: "tele" means distant and "kinesis" means movement. People who claim to have telekinetic abilities say they can influence everything from small objects like pencils and dice to larger items like furniture or even liquids. Some accounts describe telekinesis happening instantaneously, while others suggest it requires intense mental concentration over longer periods.

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Throughout history, stories about telekinesis have appeared in religious texts, folklore, and modern accounts. Ancient writings described spiritual leaders moving objects through prayer or divine connection. In more recent times, during the 1800s and 1900s, spiritualist movements brought telekinesis claims into public attention. Mediums claimed they could move tables, ring bells, and manipulate objects during séances. In the mid-20th century, a Soviet researcher named Leonid Vasiliev began studying what he called "distant mental influence," believing it might be a real scientific phenomenon.

Today, telekinesis appears in popular culture through movies, television shows, and books. Characters with superpowers often display telekinetic abilities as a standard part of their skill set. This widespread cultural representation has shaped how many people understand and imagine telekinesis, sometimes blending fictional descriptions with real-world claims. However, cultural popularity does not tell us whether telekinesis actually occurs in nature or whether scientific evidence supports its existence.

Practical takeaway: Understanding telekinesis requires separating historical claims, cultural representations, and actual scientific evidence. When you encounter stories about telekinesis, ask whether the information comes from eyewitness accounts, controlled experiments, or fictional entertainment.

What Does Scientific Research Say About Telekinesis?

The scientific consensus on telekinesis is clear: controlled laboratory studies have not produced reliable evidence that telekinesis exists. The National Academy of Sciences, major physics organizations, and psychology research communities have examined telekinesis claims for over a century. Despite numerous experiments, researchers have not documented repeatable, measurable telekinetic effects under controlled conditions. This does not mean scientists dismiss the idea entirely—rather, they note that current evidence does not support telekinesis as a real phenomenon operating in the physical world.

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One significant problem in telekinesis research involves what scientists call the "replication crisis." A replication crisis occurs when initial studies appear to show results, but other researchers cannot repeat those results using the same methods. Several famous telekinesis studies from the 1970s and 1980s initially seemed promising, but subsequent investigations revealed flaws in experimental design or procedures. In some cases, researchers discovered that experimenters unconsciously influenced results through their own expectations. This phenomenon, called experimenter bias, means that a researcher's beliefs can subtly affect how they conduct or interpret studies.

A notable example involves research on micro-psychokinesis—the claim that human intention can influence random number generators or dice rolls. Parapsychology institutes conducted thousands of experiments testing whether people could mentally influence random outcomes. Meta-analyses (studies that combine results from many other studies) found that while some individual experiments showed small statistical effects, the effects were far too small to demonstrate a real phenomenon. They were typically explained by chance variation, experimental flaws, or statistical anomalies that occur naturally when testing many subjects and conditions.

The physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman famously tested telekinesis claims and found no convincing evidence. Other physicists note that telekinesis would contradict well-established laws of physics, particularly conservation of energy and momentum. If telekinesis were real and powerful enough to move objects, it would require energy transfer from the human body or brain to external objects. Current scientific instruments cannot detect any such energy transfer associated with telekinetic attempts.

Practical takeaway: When evaluating claims about telekinesis, look for studies that were conducted under controlled conditions, replicated by multiple independent research teams, and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Be cautious of claims based on single studies, anecdotal accounts, or experiments without proper controls for bias and coincidence.

Why Do People Believe In Telekinesis Despite Lack of Scientific Evidence?

Human psychology offers several explanations for why telekinesis beliefs persist even without scientific support. One powerful factor is perception bias—the tendency for our brains to notice information that confirms what we already believe and overlook information that contradicts our beliefs. If someone believes telekinesis is real and they see a coincidence (like thinking of a friend just before they call), their brain emphasizes this "hit" and forgets the many times they thought of that friend and nothing happened. This selective attention makes telekinesis seem more real than it actually is, based on the evidence a person remembers.

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Another psychological factor is the human tendency to find patterns and agency in random events. Our brains evolved to detect patterns because recognizing patterns helped our ancestors survive. However, this pattern-finding ability can work against us. When people watch random events, they often see meaningful patterns that do not actually exist. Researchers call this the "clustering illusion." If someone flips a coin and gets five heads in a row, they might believe they influenced the outcome, when actually such sequences occur naturally by chance in any series of random flips.

Personal experiences and emotional intensity also influence belief formation. If someone has an intense, emotionally significant experience that coincides with their intention to move an object, they may create a strong memory linking the two events. The emotional intensity of the experience can make the memory feel more reliable and convincing than it actually is. This is especially true in high-stress or spiritually significant moments, when people are most motivated to find meaning in events.

Cultural and religious traditions also support telekinesis beliefs. In many spiritual and religious traditions, the ability to affect physical reality through intention or prayer is considered possible or even expected. These beliefs are deeply meaningful to practitioners and often connected to broader worldviews, identity, and community belonging. When a belief system is woven into someone's sense of identity and community, they may resist scientific evidence that contradicts it, not because they are irrational, but because accepting the contradiction would require rethinking fundamental aspects of their worldview.

Additionally, entertainment media has made telekinesis seem plausible. When people watch actors portray telekinetic characters in realistic movie settings, with careful cinematography and sound design, their brains can create vivid mental images of telekinesis working. These images from fiction can influence how people interpret real-world experiences and what they consider possible.

Practical takeaway: Notice your own thinking patterns. When you believe something is true, actively look for evidence against it, not just evidence supporting it. This practice, called "belief investigation," helps counteract confirmation bias and leads to more accurate understanding of what is actually happening around you.

Documented Claims and Case Studies of Telekinesis

Throughout modern history, several individuals have claimed telekinetic abilities and attracted scientific attention. One of the most famous is Uri Geller, an Israeli performer who rose to prominence in the 1970s claiming he could bend spoons and influence electronic equipment through mental power alone. Geller worked with Stanford Research Institute scientists and appeared on television demonstrations worldwide. However, magicians and skeptical investigators noted that Geller's methods matched techniques used by stage magicians to create illusions. In controlled laboratory conditions where Geller could not use sleight of hand or other tricks, he failed to demonstrate telekinetic ability. Geller later acknowledged using magic techniques in some performances, though he maintained he also possessed genuine abilities.

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Another notable case involved Nina Kulagina, a Russian woman who claimed telekinetic abilities in the 1960s and 1970s. Soviet scientists conducted experiments with Kulagina, and some researchers reported observing her move objects without physical contact. However, Western scientists and skeptical investigators found serious methodological flaws in these studies. In some cases, video footage revealed that Kulagina was using subtle physical movements, threads, or other hidden mechanisms to move objects. The lack of proper controls—such as preventing Kulagina from moving her hands or hiding her from direct view—made these experiments scientifically unreliable.

Children have also been subjects of telekinesis claims. In several documented cases, young people in families reported objects moving around them or strange physical phenomena occurring near them. These cases often involved families or communities with strong beliefs in supernatural phenomena. Skeptical investigators found conventional explanations in most cases: the children were physically moving objects themselves, sometimes unconsciously or in response to observer expectations; objects were being moved by natural causes like vibrations or air currents; or memories of events were being altered over time to fit a narrative of supernatural activity.