Imagine if you're at a coffee shop happily gulping down some pumpkin spice latte while reading your favorite book, allowing yourself a leisurely smile every now and then. How would you feel if a complete stranger crashed into the little haven you created for yourself and tell you some jolting personal details about yourself, or blurt out your darkest secret? Creepy, right?! Well, some people are capable of doing just that! They might not ambush you but surely just one look, and they'll know! But who are they? They are mentalists. Funny guys these mentalists are! The teeniest of freckle, a tan line, or a twitch in your eyes tells them your story. They have the unusual ability to find the truth and facts about a person's life. Some of them like to call themselves magicians, some are self-proclaimed psychics, while some just claim to study the cognitive and behavioral psychology of the human mind. Mentalism is essentially a combination of cognitive psychology, misdirection, reading of a person's microexpressions as well as body language, and a good observational skill. Many, however, claim to possess psychic abilities that enhance their mentalist abilities. Let us take a look at some of the great decoders of the human mind. Born as Steven Shaw, he is mentalist, magic consultant, and a skeptic who has debunked a number of false claims made by psychics the world-over. He is the Director of the James Randi Educational Foundation One Million Dollar Challenge. He has been a part of a number of television shows, like CNN Live, Mind Freak, etc. He has worked as a magic consultant for various famous magicians, like Penn & Teller, Criss Angel, and William Lance Burton. He has co-authored a number of award-winning books like Psychological Subtleties 2. Website: Banachek He is an English mentalist, hypnotist, illusionist, and a skeptic. Derren dismisses his mind-reading act as psychic and explains that it is purely a combination of misdirection, memory technique, psychology, and showmanship. He has made a number of television appearances in television series like the Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat (both aired in England). He is the proud author of Absolute Magic, Pure Effect, Tricks of the Mind, and Confessions of a Conjuror. Website: Derren Brown His birth name is George Joseph Kresge. He is a mentalists who gained popularity in the 1970s by appearing on American television. His show The Amazing World of Kreskin was aired throughout Canada and North America between 1970 to 1975. He has made a number of appearances on shows like Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, etc. Kresge teaches techniques of memory jogging and detection lies by reading body language to individuals from the law enforcement profession. Website: The Amazing Kreskin He is an Irish mentalist, hypnotist, and magician. He has performed in an MTV special Brainwashed, in 2004, which was his first step into the television world. He has performed live on shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Paul O'Grady Show. In 2009, Keith was the host of the Irish version of the TV series Deal or No Deal. Currently, he is hosting his very own show, Brain Hacker. Like most other mentalists, he attributes his abilities to the technique of 'cold reading'. Keith is also an activist against elderly abuse. Website: Keith Barry He is an Israeli illusionist and mentalist and claims to be a psychic. He is apparently capable of psychokinesis,dowsing, and telepathy. In a career that has spanned over forty years, Uri has faced the wrath of many skeptics such as James Randi. He has written a number of both fiction and non-fiction books such as Dead cold, Pampini, Shawn, My Story, Unorthodox Encounters,,etc. Website: Uri Geller She is considered as one of the female pioneers in mass hypnotism and has performed hypnosis on thirty people simultaneously. Her Think-a-Drink act gained widespread popularity. Later in her career, she took to debunking of false psychic claims. She lectured and demonstrated at various universities to educate people on the art of hypnosis as well as therapeutic hypnosis. She also authored a number of books like The Art of Hypnotism, Help Yourself Thru Hypnotism and Self Hypnosis, Successful Hypnotism, and The Science of Self-Hypnosis. Website: Joan Brandon One of the most famous mentalists of all times, Joseph Dunninger was among the first few debunkers of fraudulent psychic claims and has subsequently inspired many a modern mentalists. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of performers of magic on television. His book, Inside the Medium's Cabinet was published in the year 1935, which exposed the trickery involved in mediumship to the world.