Human magnetism is a popular name for an alleged ability of some people to attract objects to their skin. People alleged to have such an ability are often called human magnets. Although metal objects are the most popular, some are also alleged to be able to stick other types of materials, such as glass, porcelain, wood or plastic as well as metals with no

ferromagnetic Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) which results in a large observed magnetic permeability, and in many cases a large magnetic coercivity allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. Ferromagnetic materials ...

properties such as brass and aluminium. However, none of the recorded claims of human magnetism corresponds with the physics of

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...

Selected claimed human magnets

* Aurel Răileanu from Romania, also known as "Mr. Magnet"; is said to be the strongest human magnet * Etibar Elchyev from Georgia,

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

holder for most spoons on a human body * Ivan Stoiljkovic, a boy from Croatia *

Liew Thow Lin Liew Thow Lin (31 March 1930 - 9 April 2013) () of Malaysia was known as the "Magnet Man", (), "Magnetic Man" or "Mr. Magnet" because he had the ability to stick metal objects to his body. Liew performed in many charity events showing his abil ...

, known as Mr. Magnetic Man *Dalibor Jablanović from Serbia,

holder for most spoons on a human face *Arun Raikar from India, who could lift of metal upon his body * Agnė Kulitaitė from

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

is known to hold metal objects on her forehead or even cheeks.

Explanations

Many of the people who can adhere objects to their body can do so not only with metal but also other materials. That would suggest that the phenomenon cannot be explained by

and uses a different kind of physical effect. Skeptic Benjamin Radford has used a compass to check the

magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...

of a person that claimed to be a human magnet. He concluded that person did not produce magnetic fields. He also noted that those people usually have smooth and hairless skin and lean back slightly while sticking objects, which would not be necessary if they possessed magnetic powers. Many scientists and proponents of science, including James Randi, have explained this ability by friction and sticky skin; to prove that, Randi has demonstrated that human magnets lose their powers when they are covered in talc.

References

{{Parapsychology, state=collapsed Magnetism Paranormal hoaxes Parapsychology

Selected claimed human magnets

Explanations

See also

References