Remember psychokinesis? The ability to move objects with the mind, bend spoons, and influence the physical world through sheer thought? For decades, it’s been relegated to the fringes—the stuff of 70s parlor tricks and sci-fi blockbusters.
But then came 2018.
It wasn’t the year a telekinetic savant lifted a skyscraper on live TV. Instead, 2018 was the year the idea of psychokinesis was subtly, powerfully, reborn. It shifted from a dusty paranormal claim to a concept being actively explored with 21st-century tools: advanced brain-computer interfaces, viral streaming phenomena, and a blockbuster film that asked a profound question.
Let’s rewind to what made “Psychokinesis 2018” such a fascinating cultural moment.
1. The Scientific Spark: When Brainwaves Click a Mouse
While true spoon-bending remained elusive, 2018 saw remarkable strides in the closest thing we have to real-world psychokinesis: Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs).
Researchers around the world were making BCIs more sophisticated and accessible. The key differentiator? It wasn’t about raw, undefined mental power; it was about translating specific, measurable brain signals into digital commands.
- Controlling Prosthetics: Studies advanced where paralyzed patients could control robotic arms or computer cursors by imagining the movement. Their motor cortex signals were decoded and executed by a machine. To an observer, it looks like mind control. In reality, it’s brilliant neuroscience.
- The “Think-to-Type” Revolution: Projects were demonstrating rapid typing using only brainwaves. This wasn’t magic; it was a complex translation of the brain’s intention into action, bypassing the body entirely.
The takeaway from the lab in 2018 was clear: We might not be moving coffee cups with our minds, but we are on a direct path to moving the digital world. This scientific progress gave the concept of psychokinesis a new, tangible credibility.
2. The Pop Culture Phenomenon: Stranger Things and the Power of Eleven
No discussion of psychokinesis in 2018 is complete without Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven. The second season of Stranger Things had recently dropped in late 2017, and its cultural grip was absolute throughout 2018.
Eleven wasn’t a sideshow magician. She was a hero. Her power—often depicted with a furrowed brow and a trickle of blood from her nose—was portrayed as both a gift and a burden. It was visceral, demanding, and had real consequences. This portrayal did something incredible: it made psychokinesis feel real and earned, not just a cheap parlor trick. It embedded the image of a powerful, telekinetic young woman directly into the global psyche, making the concept cooler and more relatable than ever before.
3. The Blockbuster Question: X-Men: Dark Phoenix
In 2018, the trailer for Dark Phoenix (released in 2019) dropped, putting Jean Grey and her overwhelming telekinetic and telepathic powers front and center. While the film itself would later receive mixed reviews, the marketing in 8 reignited the classic comic book debate about psychokinesis. It presented the ultimate fantasy and cautionary tale: what if your mind was so powerful it could destroy a world? This mainstream exposure kept the “what if” of psychokinesis alive in the public imagination.
The 2018 Verdict: A Bridge Between Mystery and Science
So, what was the true state of psychokinesis in 2018?
It was a year of demystification through realization. We collectively began to understand that the classic idea of psychokinesis—willing a pencil to roll off a table—might be a flawed concept. The real frontier wasn’t in defying physics with vague mental energy, but in using our brain’s specific, measurable outputs to control the technology that can move the physical world.
Psychokinesis in 2018 was no longer just about bending spoons. It was about:
- Controlling a robotic arm.
- Typing with a thought.
- Inspiring a generation through a character like Eleven.
It was the year we stopped laughing at the idea and started building its foundation. The mind may not be moving matter directly, but it is now, undeniably, pulling the levers of the machines that do.
The journey that accelerated in 2018 continues today, blurring the line between human intention and physical action more than ever before. The future of psychokinesis isn’t in the paranormal section—it’s in the lab, the hospital, and the tech startup.
What do you think? Is controlling a robot with your mind the true psychokinesis? Share your thoughts in the comments below
