ANSWERS: 3
  • Are you talking about "light as a feather, stiff as a board"? I've done that. I'm quite sure that having a lot of people lift up one person is all that is.
  • "Light as a feather, stiff as a board, sometimes known as lovely ness, is a game often played by children at slumber parties. One participant lies flat on the floor, and then the others space themselves around him/her, each placing a few fingers underneath his/her body. They then start chanting "light as a feather, stiff as a board" and eventually lift their friend, using what feels like surprisingly little effort. In reality, the participants are tricking their minds (a la the chanting) into believing that the person being lifted is "light as a feather". The body still reacts to the command from the brain, but the mind perceives it differently. Simply put, five (example) people can easily lift one person, especially when those five people are tricking their minds into thinking that the person is light-weight. In one variation the person being lifted is told a story about their death and asked to imagine it happening to him/her. It serves the dual purpose of "freaking out" the participants and convinces the participants that it will be easier to lift this person. However, it is interesting to note that in many versions, each of the (in the example) five people lifting the other person uses only one or two of his or her fingers on each hand to do the lifting. It is particularly easy to lift a heavy weight when it is evenly distributed amongst a group of four people. The phenomena of the weight seeming less on the second try around or after some sort of ritual is due to increased focus and the "lifters" being more in sync with one another. Another reason for the apparent success of the levitation is the "self fulfilling prophecy" concept. The lifters know it's supposed to be heavy and not work the first time so subconsciously they don't put in the effort required to do the lift the first time around. The second time around they are focused and putting in the effort in order to prove to others (and even moreso themselves) that it actually works." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_as_a_feather,_stiff_as_a_board
  • We lifted a Volkswagen and left it on the sidewalk next to a hydrant.

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