# Derren Brown sticks the nation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660 "2009-09-18T23:46:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/1 "2009-09-18T23:46:51Z")
… or does he? Brown’s latest stunt, just shown a moment ago on UKTV, was to use suggestion to make people unable to get up from their chairs. About half the in studio audience were stuck, and unable to stand. Brown said it would be less effective at home. I was watching at home, and it didn’t affect me. Any dopers that were stuck at all? ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/2 "2009-09-19T00:23:35Z")
Nothing here, or any other symptoms/effects that some of the people reported. ---
**Author:** ![Weston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8797f3/32.png) [@Weston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weston)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/3 "2009-09-19T00:54:22Z")
My hands felt _slightly_ heavy while I was watching it, but I could’ve been imagining that. A friend of mine told me she had a very slight fit (her word) and, while she could get up, she couldn’t control her eye movements for a few moments. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/4 "2009-09-19T03:26:43Z")
> [@Weston](#): > > My hands felt _slightly_ heavy while I was watching it, but I could’ve been imagining that. A friend of mine told me she had a very slight fit (her word) and, while she could get up, she couldn’t control her eye movements for a few moments. Wow. So he accomplished what what some of my friends did back in sixth grade. And this is the guy people think is so great? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/5 "2009-09-19T05:36:28Z")
> [@Weston](#): > > A friend of mine told me she had a very slight fit (her word) and, while she could get up, she couldn’t control her eye movements for a few moments. Those might just be symptoms of watching Derren Brown, though. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/6 "2009-09-19T06:50:59Z")
Didn’t watch it, but during that period, several time zones away, I felt a similar compulsion to keep sitting and surfing the net. But I have to fight that one regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/7 "2009-09-19T07:38:12Z")
The people in the audience who were “stuck” were lying, as were the people calling in. Whether that’s because they were paid or because they just wanted to be featured on TV is up to you. Derren Brown is a charlatan. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/8 "2009-09-19T08:07:22Z")
Did fuck-all for me or anyone else I know who watched. > [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > The people in the audience who were “stuck” were lying, as were the people calling in. Whether that’s because they were paid or because they just wanted to be featured on TV is up to you. Derren Brown is a charlatan. If by “lying” you mean “standard participants in hypnosis act”. Why bother with stooges when it’s already been done a million times before with genuine audience members. The people on the phone calls I’m inclined to agree more, but then there are a bunch of suggestible people out there. Unless it wasn’t live at all - the phone in reeked of put-up. I think heretofore, Derren Brown has been incredible, the best there is, but these last two stunts have made me think he’s losing it a little. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/9 "2009-09-19T11:57:17Z")
Yeah, sounds like standard hypnosis act stuff. While hypnosis seems to be effective in calming, pain reduction, and so on, it seems that the “hypnosis” that happens in stage shows is more of a social phenomenon. People get permission to act weird and get attention. In this case, they get the opportunity to participate in something special. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/10 "2009-09-19T12:11:18Z")
Hmm… sit back in a chair (so your centre of gravity is behind you), put your feet flat on the floor (to remove any leverage), and watch a swirly pattern which messes with the balance centre of your brain. Then try to get up. It’s a combination of physics and suggestibility… notice how he went on about how “creative, open-minded, fun” people would get stuck, that you have to “want it to happen”. ---
**Author:** ![KellyCriterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/11 "2009-09-21T06:43:51Z")
No effect. Maybe it relaxed me a bit, but no problem getting out of the chair. For those who want to watch it, in high definition, see it (from 4:45 onwards), [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPfBminIhBw&feature=channel_page). Note that Brown says “it won’t work if you watch it on the internet”. Hmmm, as I said, the vid linked is in high definition, the full screen resolution looks ok to me. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/12 "2009-09-21T07:13:16Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Then try to get up. It’s a combination of physics and suggestibility… notice how he went on about how “creative, open-minded, fun” people would get stuck, that you have to “want it to happen”. The Emperor’s New Clothes comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derren-brown-sticks-the-nation/510660/13 "2009-09-21T08:04:20Z")
Living in Las Vegas, there are tons of mentalists, hypnotists, magic acts - they all do the same thing, live on stage. One of my students told me she went to one of the shows “he took 10 random people from the audience and in just two minutes, hypnotized them and they all barked like dogs and then fell to the floor and begged for dog bones!” I told her these “random” people were “plants” in the audience. She refused to believe me. Mind you, this was in a psychology class where we discussed, in depth, what you can, and cannot do, under hypnosis - and even showed video of how hypnosis works. What can I say…