I’m not certain, and perhaps someone else may be able to point to this, but I think that there has been research on the ideomotor effect and video examination, showing very small movements of the muscles/limbs involved.

One aspect of dowsing that contributes to the effectiveness of minute muscle movements is the fact that the dowsing tools are in a state of tension and imbalance. So, even a tiny movement can cause significant changes in the position of the rod(s). That is what I have understood about the subject, anyway.

Thanks. “ideomotor” was the word, not microtremors. But what about studying why it seems to work? Has the possibility of subconsciously twisting the wires or limb at a certain point been examined?

See, there’s a party trick based on that. Ask someone to hide an object while you’re stepped out of the room. Pick someone from the group and hold their hand. Give them whatever spiel you like, but make sure you tell them that they’re going to point out out the object. Take their hand and lead them around the room. Usually they’ll try to point *away* from the object. Which, of course, leads you right to it.

Behold the power of suggestion.

How did you get doing that Phil ?

And congrats on the Asteroid name sake.

In regards to dowsing, look up the “ideomotor effect.” James Randi mentions it a lot in his articles, and a number of other researchers have observed the same phenomenon.

The other fun part is that you – and they – never know for sure what they’re going to find out. That increases viewer interest. If they only showed the “Busted” myths, then it only takes long enough to see the episode’s topics before the average TV viewer will flip the channel. And “Mythbusters” conveys a sense of “being there” in that you see how they set up the tests and the mistakes along with the successes.

Personally, I’d like to see a show take a step beyond proving and disproving, and try to figure out what’s going on. Like dousing. The Amazing Randi has done an excellent job in showing that it doesn’t actually detect underground objects, but I don’t think he ever investigated exactly why it seems to work. Does the mind subconsciously cause microtremors in the hands to make the stick or wires swing over a spot? Say, a person sees a water main out of one corner of his eye, a house in the other, and subconsciously “connects the dots.” Or a certain popular topically applied product that shall remain nameless. The point isn’t if it works as they claim, it’s whether it works at all, and if so, how? Can it be replicated by a placebo or something that causes a similar sensation?

Just my two cents.