I made the mistake of asking someone about the wristbands that everyone here seems to be wearing all of a sudden. They're Power Balance Wristbands, I was told. They stop you falling over.
Amazon's selling them HERE.
Has anyone else come across them? They're everywhere here and I thought they might be all-inclusive hotel wristbands, but I should have known better!
Re: Power Balance Wristbands
This sounds like a good idea, it allows sensible people identify who not to talk to.
http://www.skepticforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12256&f=5
This piece of garbage has had the treatment deserved on skepticforum. Some mumbojumbo backed by anecdotes is the definition of woo.
Claims like: The key benefits include: improved physical balance, more flexibility, better focus and concentration, enhanced muscle strength and increased stamina; require substantiation not testimonials.
http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/power_balance.shtmlIt's like the tooth fairy. Tell me money appears under your pillow, and I will believe you. But that won't convince me that the tooth fairy did it. The tooth fairy phenomenon is easily explained by human psychology and parental behavior. The Power Balance phenomenon is easily explained by suggestion, confirmation bias, the placebo response, and other well-known aspects of human psychology that conspire to persuade people that ineffective things work.
Thanks Pebble. My bullshit detector just exploded ...
edit: many thanks BW, a good read.
Looks like you need a wristband to restore your equilibrium ...Originally Posted by DrS
Well there are plenty here to bloody choose from!
A company selling these bogus devices contacted me recently to 'check out how skeptical we really are' by asking us to devise and perform a test of their products.
I declined as these things have already been tested and the results of how they 'work' in demonstrations is well known.
Here's how.....
.
Well that was 'kin easy wasn't it!
Thats an interesting Video. There is a crossover here with Tai Chi and these claims of improved balance, stability and flexibility. There are certainly real benefits in doing Tai Chi. But rather than simply saying 'getting fitter, practicing balance, stretching, and gaining in core strength' is good for you, they cloud it with talk of energy flow, grounding, inner strength etc.
Most knowledge comes about by trial and error and experience. It is transmitted through culture. Something can be true even if the philosophy attached to it lacks credibility. The trick is to separate the good bits from the bad which a lot of people don't manage.
News item from BBC Wales.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11805616
Jolly Good! Well done Beeb Cymru!
Thanks for the tip off B.
I'm feeling a bit wobbly. Off for a lie down now me power balance band don't work no more. The placebos don't work. Or at least they can have beneficial effects as long as no one makes any silly claims and tries to con people. But no one does that, do they!
Indeed.
It's a bit ironic, given the supposed connection between Tai Chi and Taoism, that some people take the explanations underlying Tai Chi too seriously, since I rather understood that having a sense of humour, not taking things too literally, and appreciating the value of vagueness were significant aspects of Taosim.
To limit it to the information they provide directly?The company is also in the process of shutting down all non-official Power Balance sites to limit the amount of incorrect information in circulation.
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