Asi Wind: What Magic & Mind Reading Reveal About the Brain

In this episode, my guest is Asi Wind. He's one of the world’s top magicians and mentalists.

We discuss what magic and mentalism reveal about the human mind, including how memories are made, how to erase them, and how and why we perceive things the way we do, all in the context of how he performs his astonishing tricks.

Asi explains that magic works because it involves storytelling, which is key to how we organize memories. He also explains how emotional connection allows people to co-create and believe a common narrative, even one that did not actually occur.

We also discuss how Asi's love of painting and photography and his specific daily routine allow him to access creativity. We also discuss fear, perfectionism, and how feeling emotions deeply serves his craft.

Whether you are interested in magic or not, this conversation with Asi will give you an incredible window into how you perceive, learn, and remember the world around you and how what you believe may or may not be based in reality.

Asi Wind Clips

• Penn & Teller: Fool Us
• Salt and Pepper Trick
• Invisible Die Card Trick
• Kelly Clarkson
• The View

Other Resources

• The Magic Castle
• Karl Deisseroth on Lex Fridman Podcast
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Epicly Later’d: The John Cardiel Story

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned

• Dr. Karl Deisseroth: Understanding & Healing the Mind
• Rick Rubin: How to Access Your Creativity
• Dr. David Spiegel: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health & Performance
• Chris Voss: How to Succeed at Hard Conversations

People Mentioned

• David Blaine: illusionist, magician
• Avner the Eccentric: magician, clown, mime
• Franco Pascali: magician, cardist
• Juan Tamariz: Spanish magician
• Tommy Wonder: Dutch magician
• Chan Canasta: Polish mentalist
• Lucian Freud: English painter
• Andrew Wyeth: American realist painter
• Vincent van Gogh: Dutch painter
• Mark Rothko: American painter
• Bevil Conway: researcher, senses and perception
• Chuck Close: American painter
• John Cardiel: skateboarder
• Henri Matisse: French artist
• Laura Alexander: American artist
• Harry Lorayne: American magician
• Hernri Cartier-Bresson: French photographer
• John Graham: magician, mentalist
• Doug McKenzie: magician, mentalist