Can a Group's Focus Move Something Physical?

Published 2026-09-28 · updated 2026-09-29

Quick Answer

The Egely Wheel is a real study (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1984–86, 304 students) where about a third of trials showed measurable rotation with hands held near a wheel, no touching — though the study wasn't blinded. Table-tipping is a 19th-century practice studied seriously since the 1960s (the Batcheldor method), with a documented 1972 case of a group getting consistent responses from an invented fictional character.

Two practices, a century and a half apart, both asking the same question: can a group's focused attention move something physical, without touching it?

The Wheel

In 1984–86, physicist György Egely tested this directly at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: 304 students across three schools, hands held near a light wheel under glass, no touching. About a third of trials produced clear, measurable rotation — not evenly across groups, and not without real problems (the study wasn't blinded, success correlated with mood and belief in the task, and the author's own paper admits the database "is not wide enough" for real statistics). Real, imperfect, worth trying yourself.

The other half of this question goes back even further — a Victorian-era parlour practice that a British researcher took seriously enough to study properly in the 1960s and '70s, using a method that's since been replicated with an invented fictional character who somehow still got consistent, coded responses from a group of strangers.

Frequently Asked

What is the Egely Wheel?

A light wheel balanced on a needle point under a glass dome. People hold their hands near it, without touching the glass or the wheel, and in some trials it rotates.

Is there real research on the Egely Wheel?

Yes. Physicist György Egely tested it at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1984–86 with 304 students across three schools. About a third of trials showed clear rotation, though the study wasn't blinded and success correlated with mood and belief in the task.

What is table-tipping?

A 19th-century parlour practice where a small group rests fingertips lightly on a light table and it appears to tilt or move. British researcher Kenneth Batcheldor studied it seriously in the 1960s and '70s.

Is table-tipping real or a trick?

The tested, mainstream explanation is the ideomotor effect — unconscious muscle movement — confirmed by Michael Faraday's 1853 paper-under-hands test. But a 1972 Toronto study (the "Philip Experiment") showed a group could get consistent, coded table responses from a character they'd entirely invented, which remains a striking demonstration of real group psychology either way.

References & Resources

Egely, G. (1986). Experimental Investigation of Biologically Induced Energy Transport Anomalies. KFKI-1986-94/K, Hungarian Academy of Sciences — the original institutional preprint, 304 students.

Batcheldor, K. Table-tipping research, 1960s–70s — the "witness inhibition" and "ownership resistance" concepts behind the protocol.

Owen, A.R.G. & Whitton, J. (1972). The Philip Experiment, Toronto — the fictional-character table-tipping study.

Faraday, M. (1853). Experimental Investigation of Table-Moving. Journal of the Franklin Institute, 56, 328–333 — the original paper-under-hands test.

Read the rest, free

The full lesson covers the table-tipping protocol, the honest 1972 "Philip Experiment," safety notes, and sources — plus five more lessons like this one.

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