Tags
balance bracelet, irenew, physics, power balance, pseudoscience, science, skeptic bros, skepticism
Where We Stand
Even though the purveyors of Power Balance bracelets have already admitted that there is no scientific basis for any of their claims and have starting giving refunds, and there is no physical way for the bracelets to work (beyond placebo), many people still buy into the pseudoscience of bracelets that can “align your natural frequencies”, or some other such nonsense.
Enter: the placebo band. Created by the “Skeptic Bros”, this bracelet is a great way to get people to ask about your bracelet, and explain the nonsense of Power Balance and its kin. The Skeptic Bros have given us a rundown of the balance bracelet testing, seen below, exposing how a little application of physics is all you need for people to fork over $60.
All the look without all the bogus
Beyond the dissection of their misleading tests, I have done some calculations to show that the only thing fooling the masses is the direction of force. Nothing more. You can find the calculations in the section titled “Physics of the Con.”
How Power Balance Cons You
Here’s a rundown of everything that the salesman will throw at you. Become your own Power Balance con-man (for science)!
The Twister
Do this one first. Done quickly enough it is very convincing. Be sure to move onto the next effect asap.
Ask your subject to stand with feet together with their right arm outstretched in front of them, palm down. Have your subject twist to the right, from the waist, as far around as they can go (Fig. A) When they reach the point where they stop, place the Placebo Band on the back of their out stretched hand, or snap it on their wrist, and ask them to go a bit further around (Fig. B) Amazingly they will be able to!
The rationale is that the person will not actually go as far as they can go when they twist around. Once their body stops twisting, it will naturally twist back towards a comfortable position without the person knowing. It is then easy to twist again a bit further.
A (less convincing) variation on this is to have them touch their toes, pause, put the band on their back and ask them to go lower.
The Deal
Surprisingly simple and sneaky.
Without Placebo Band ask you subject to stand with their feet together with arms at the their side. Have them turn one hand palm out and cup their fingers up. Stand side by side with you friend put your fist in their cupped hand like you are trying to pass them something without everyone noticing. Tell them to ‘try’ to resist you (implying that they won’t be able to). Push down and slightly away from them (Fig. A) this should pull them off-balance. Now have them put on Placebo Band and repeat the test telling them to resist, except this time push down and slightly towards your subject (Fig. B). Amazingly it should be impossible to unbalance your friend!
The rationale behind this one is similar to the next two tests, “the scarecrow” and “you’re nicked”, and is explained below in the “Physics of the Con” section. As we will see, a simple change in the direction of force makes all the difference.
The Scarecrow
Shockingly effective.
Without Placebo Band ask your subject to stand, arms outstretched to either side, balancing on one leg. In the same way as the The Deal push down and slightly away (Fig. A) while telling your subject to ‘do their best’ to resist you. They will fall off-balance easily. Then, with Placebo Band on your friends wrist and a hand firmly on the shoulder push down and slightly toward your subject. Amazingly your friend will be able to stand strong!
(Though not illustrated, this effect is best practiced with one hand on your friends shoulder – this will give you more control.)
You’re Nicked
Now you have their trust, lock it in.
Without Placebo Band ask your friend to stand in front of you facing away, feet together, with hands behind their back, fingers interlaced, palms up. Stand 60-90cm (2-3ft) behind your subject and push down and slightly away (Fig. A). When they fall backwards DO NOT let them hit the ground. Protect their head!
Then, with Placebo Band on your friends wrist repeat the test only this time push down and slightly towards your subject (Fig. B). Amazingly they will not fall over!
[Via the SkepticBros]
Why are these tests so effective at selling people pseudoscience? I can tell you what it isn’t. It isn’t “vibrations” or “frequencies” or “auras” or “alignments”, or any other buzzword meant to make it seem like these bracelets have some basis in science. It’s the application of a little physics.
Physics of the Con
Let’s imagine that a balance bracelet salesman approaches you to test your balance, and hopefully sell you some junk. The diagram below illustrates “The Scarecrow” position seen above.
Let’s assume that this force is equal to 10 pounds (lb) at 45 degrees. This will represent the balance bracelet seller pushing down on you and “proving” that you need their product.
To see why the direction of force makes all the difference, we have to consider the moment acting on the person. A moment is a description of the “twisting” or “rotational” force applied at a point, which is a function of how a force acts on a point at a perpendicular distance. It is this moment that will determine which position a person is easier to tip in, and not any magical “vibrational alignment.” Let’s do a little math, assuming that the person’s tipping point is at their foot (point A):
I’ll save you the engineering specifics, but 64 ft-lbs is the amount of twisting or rotational force (using the arbitrary angle and magnitude) that will be applied at the foot of the person taking the test (the tipping point/point A), assuming the length of their arm is 3 feet, and their height from their shoulder is 6 feet. This can be quite a large amount of force, depending on the pushing being done, and it could surely unbalance you. But the tester will then put the bracelet on you and test your balance again, this time changing the angle of the force being applied, as seen in the diagram below.
In this configuration, again sparing you some engineering, the amount of force is then found to be:
Only 21 ft-lbs, which is about one third as much force than was applied to you earlier (the negative sign means that the direction of rotation is the opposite). Being that you don’t want to be unbalanced again, are trying a lot harder to resist, want the bracelet to work, and are using more muscles (your core muscles) to resist a force significantly smaller (and in a direction that activates the larger core muscles), an impression is given that the bracelet had some effect.
Conclusions
The reality is simple physics. The way that the balance bracelet salesmen “prove” their effectiveness is merely taking advantage of forces, moments, and muscles. It has nothing to do with “frequencies” and “vibrations” and everything to do with statics. Nothing magical here.
Science-Based Life 
Not to be a party pooper, because I know these things are a huge scam, but: merely demonstrating that something CAN be faked does not mean it IS faked. It does not logically follow that because something can be done that it will be done. I know you’re just pointing out the physics of how these guys trick unsuspecting people into buying their stuff, so from a marketing angle I understand. Scientifically, however, I would love to see some more debunking done.
You know, just from an info-porn standpoint. You’re clearly right, but I love your style and technique and want to see more of your work.
Sexily so.
I absolutely agree, just because there is a possibility for fraud, doesn’t mean that there is fraud.
However, the reason that people fall for things bracelets is not because they disagree with the science, it is because they are tricked by the salesman, whether or not the salesman believes in it. Because there is no way for the bracelets to work, it is by definition a scam to say that it does work. They even know it has no science behind it, and have since been offering people refunds.
For your info-porn, I wrote a previous post here that shows why the supposed benefits and modalities of the bracelets are physically impossible.
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Nice article. Thanks for taking the time to illustrate how this could be done. One small detail, though. 21 is not three times less than 64, it is one-third as much. Any number less itself (one time less) is zero; so three times less would be -128 (64 – (64-64-64)).
Thanks for the correction, I appreciate your rigor.
My sister had a good question: how can someone who bought the bracelet and believed its claims run the tests on her who doesn’t believe the claims, and have the test work? Presumably they don’t know to push toward or away from her center of mass.
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I ran into one of these vendors today on my way home from work. They run one of the tiny little independent sales islands in the mall. They pulled me aside and asked if I’d like to try out the bracelet and I accepted, genuinely curious about what they would go into them trying to convince me to buy one. It was these exact exercises and the trick was pretty subtle in that it was difficult to detect a change from when they are pushing down and away versus down and towards your body. I suspected the sort of trick explained here when she was performing the demonstration but I have to admit the fluidity of it threw me off. If I didn’t already think the idea of the whole thing was bunk, I could easily see how someone would be fooled and it’s kind of awful.
But hey, they must have been nice because they were willing to cut me a deal. Only 50 dollars each, down from 70 if I bought five. Yikes.
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It always amazes me how educated people cannot accept what they can’t explain.
I sell power balance bracelets and use the strength test to demonstrate the affect.
If I am demonstrating to a couple I also ask them to do the same test on each other.
Guess what, it still works when they do the test on each other with no interference from me. I have never had a test fail.
I have a chuckle to myself every time I see it suggested that the snake oil sales person is using some sort of trick.
I sell this product because I know it works and can demonstrate what it does with a 100 percent success rate..
With a “100% success rate,” how do you respond to controlled studies that show there is absolutely zero benefit to the bracelets? Like this one.
I am not prepared to comment on studies I have not been involved in.
I can only comment on the tests I have done.
At a local sports club I chose 6 people to participate, I tested their strength levels without the bracelet and divided them into two groups. 2 in low resistance and 4 in fair resistance. I then asked another person to place one bracelet in the right hand of one of the 6 subjects while I had my back turned. All subjects were to clench their right fist so I could not see who was concealing the bracelet.
After turning back I proceeded to do the strength test using the subjects left hand.
I easily picked the person who was holding the bracelet. This test was repeated 3 more times 2nd and third time on a different person and 4th time on the 1st person again.
Each time I predicted correctly who was holding the bracelet. So what does this prove.
Firstly it shows that I am not doing anything tricky, merely applying increasing force in a straight downward motion to gauge if there has been any increase in resistance.
Secondly it proves that the holder of the bracelet does have an increased resistance to the test. Yes it is still true that this could be a placebo affect.
So what!! if the bracelet can fool my mind to make me think I can play my chosen sport better then I will indeed play my sport better.
I would like to do a blind test some time where the subject does not know if they have on a genuine bracelet or a placebo bracelet. Perhaps the results may be far different, but for now I am very satisfied that at the very worst the bracelet has a strong placebo affect on the wearer and thereby serves it purpose.
I still come across some people who cannot accept what they are seeing and feeling.
I had one guy in his thirties who after I demonstrated the strength test on him insisted that I was pushing down at a different angle. I then invited his friend to try the same test on him which worked exactly the same as I had done. He still insisted that it was bs and said it was a placebo affect and that he would prove it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a 50c piece, this is my lucky 50c piece he said, it gives me strength and balance, now try to tip me off balance. I asked his friend to try the strength test again while he was holding his lucky coin. Guess what, he went straight off balance.
He still didn’t buy one, which also goes to prove that some people just cannot accept
what can’t be logically explained.
It never bothers me if people buy or not, I never hard sell this product, I simply do the balance test and let them make up their own mind.
I believe in the product and put one on my 87 year old mother because I truly believe that she is less likely to have a fall. She has had it on for 18 months and no falls so far, in the previous 2 years she had 4 falls
You admit you are “fooling” people into thinking the product works, so why again am I paying good money to be conned?
I admitted no such thing, I believe the product physically works. I stated that my tests showed at the very worst the bracelet produced a strong placebo effect.
You are not paying good money to be conned because you are obviously a total sceptic with a closed mind to anything you cannot explain.
So we will just have to agree to disagree, bit like a person who believes in god trying to convince an atheist that god exists, neither is going to convince the other.
You obviously haven’t even considered what I have previously stated, when I show people the strength test I also get them to perform it on another person in front of me and it works every time. This eliminates the theory that the sales person is somehow pushing at different angles.
As far as fooling people it is no different to a sports hypnosis cd which basically is conditioning or “fooling”the mind that you can stay calmer, more focussed and play better. Hypnosis is used worldwide with great results across many sports, but I suppose you probably don’t believe in that either, after all “It’s all in the mind!”
A placebo effect is not a real effect, by definition. In medicine, a placebo effect is defined as anything other than a biological response to an intervention.
I am open to evidence, not anecdotal testimony. The fact that I can demonstrate the same effects that the product is supposed to produce with no training with a fake bracelet on a stranger gives me little reason to think that there is some “magic” to them.
Wow Kyle, I think you must have some special power if you can genuinely produce the same affects with a fake bracelet.Of course if you are deliberately faking the test like in your youtube video then there’s no real value in that.
Found your video very disappointing, you merely presented your theory of how a salesman does the test, and of course your theory makes perfectly good sense that this is possible. Couldn’t help notice that you did not attempt to do the test correctly thereby making your theory exactly that, just your suspicion that this is what the sales person does.Hope you didn’t charge people for that lecture or that would make you a
scam artist, your video is a one sided faked demonstration by your own admission.
You still don’t explain how a spectator can try the strength test and it works.
The strength test is much more convincing than the one leg test.
I am so glad I came across your forum, I was starting to think that maybe I was just kidding myself that these bracelets work and it has prompted me to do some more testing today using a bracelet with the holograms removed.
I could not get the fake bracelet to work on anyone so am now convinced that the affect is real and not a placebo.
I also tested sticking the thin foil holograms onto a persons shoulder without them realising and then did the strength test on them. Guess what, it worked the same as wearing the bracelet. This means that I can now show people what is inside the bracelet and even demonstrate how the thin foil holograms work all on their own.
Even tried the stickers one inside each shoe on a person today, great result, could not be budged on the strength test by another spectator, soon as the stickers were removed and the test repeated by the same spectator over they went.
By the way, a placebo effect is real, the device causing the effect may not be.
If I believe wearing a rubber bracelet will increase my tennis first serve percentage by 30 percent and I go out on the court and achieve that, then the effect is real.
As to providing you with evidence I have no interest, as long as my customers are happy with their purchases that is all that concerns me.
I do not have to fake any of my demonstrations and often allow spectators to demonstrate on each other which really does sell the product, I can’t fake what they see and feel doing the demos themselves which in my opinion blows away all of your theory.
Thanks mate have enjoyed the back and forth but like I said before neither of us are going to convince the other so I think I will leave it there, have to get cracking packing those bracelets for tomorrows post :)
The point of the demonstration is that if I can produce the same effects with simple physics, it is a much more plausible explanation that the vibration/quantum/magnet explanation. If I can do it so easily, we don’t have you invoke anything unknown to science, much less charge people for a shiny sticker.
And if you are not interested in evidence, I suppose we are done.
Always interested in evidence, no so much in faked demonstrations.
Exactly. If I can produce the same results with a fake bracelet, there is no reason to think there is some implausible technology is at play.
You just don’t get it Kyle.
Doing the the test correctly with a fake bracelet I cannot get the strength test to work.
If I want to fake the test like you are doing no doubt I could, but I am looking for a true result.I am more interested in the truth about why this thing works than manufacturing a fake test to show that it doesn’t.
You also continually avoid my question of why, when I ask spectators to do the strength test on each other, the one you call the deal, it works.
All of your theory evolves around the sales person doing something sneaky you offer no explanation as to how this test works with spectators doing the actual test on another spectator.
I am not putting all my eggs in one basket here. The application of a different force (or the same force at a different point on the body), is simply the most likely explanation. There are others that still have nothing to do with the technology which, I will again stress, has absolutely zero plausibility and has never been shown to work (see studies here and here).
What still explains the effects you see and how asking “spectators to do the strength test on each other” can work. It’s called the practice effect. It’s widely known is physiological research that test subjects naturally adapted to testing conditions and get better on subsequent tests. So, the application of this effect would predict that a person doing a balance bracelet test will get “better” (stronger, more stable, etc.) at the test with or without the bracelet. They are adapting to conditions, and then mistaking their improvement for the effect from the bracelet. The marketing techniques of the testers only bolster this fallacy.
And I am not just speculating here. Here’s a quote from one of the studies I linked to above:
“Invariably the subjects always did better on the second trial, and it didn’t matter which bracelet they were wearing.”
You can see the result of the practice effect in Table 2 linked here.
Again, my point is that if I can produce the exact same effects with a pencil that a $30 band claims to, and that if practice effects and psychological biases explain how people can think they work or even do the tests themselves, there is no reason to think that balance bracelets work.
Oh well, don’t know what to say. All the tests I have done work without trying to fake a result. I have even tried the strength test by giving them the bracelet on the first try and find that I cannot budge them which is opposite to your study above.
Like I said before I would suspect that you do not believe in god because to you it is implausible, yet millions of people around the world would disagree.
Perhaps faith plays a part in how a bracelet works, and if you don’t have the capacity for faith it makes you immune to a genuine test.
Who knows, who cares, maybe one day we will know, maybe we’ll never know.
Just in case there is an afterlife I might request that I get buried with the bracelet, you never know, it might be useful on the next level.
Religion and faith shouldn’t be the basis for anything we are discussing here.
People shouldn’t pay 30-50$ for faith and a silicone band.
HOW MUCH!!! Good God Kyle, no wonder I’m selling so many, I only charge $19.95 and $15 for friends and relatives.
Yikes. About 19.50$ more than they are worth.
Hmm, good point, might approach the factory in China and see if we can add healing crystal chips, shouldn’t cost much extra. That would give it a better perceived value if we can claim better strength and balance combined with natural healing crystals.
Yes, the more I think about it the better I like it, that would definitely give us a much bigger market share and offer something the other types of power bands don’t have.
Could even market different types of crystals forming all sorts of bracelet combinations. You could have give up smoking while increasing your strength and balance.Increase your strength and balance and complete your spiritual connection.
Now the scary part for you Kyle is that all jokes aside they would most probably be very big sellers. This could mean a whole new forum Kyle.
Beyond the fact that “healing crystal chips” are not a real thing, we have approached the factory in China and have started selling Placebo Bands. And guess what? They work identically to the “genuine” article. How could I know that? Last summer we had a seller of balance bracelets, like yourself, do number of balance tests on strangers with his own product. If he could tell which stranger held his product in their hand 17 times out of 20, he would have won $1,000,000 dollars. He failed miserably.
You need to upgrade your marketing plan, just went to buy one for a laugh and you don’t even ship to my country so I think my sales are pretty safe.
We ship worldwide.
By the way the skeptic bros domain has been suspended, probably some consumer group complained about them charging for an item that they admit is totally useless.
This is an old thread – but I’m leaning more towards the explanation provided by the study done by the NCAA?? They think that you kinda prepare yourself for the second push on you’re arm. (There is a 20% increase in strength even if a downward force is used both times) Some people maY use the scam you describe, but this thread itself is evidence that some sellers believe in it. I’m convinced many do.
A more recent example is The Balance Walker. It uses this same methods in there commercial to convince people that it is improving your balance and posture. How ever, it is just a piece of flat plastic put in your shoe. People have different shaped feet, meaning that this will not fit all. Also a lot a shops specializing in foot wear will have shoes with a base that fits the different types of shaped feet, built into it to support your foot.