PJ Media: What tools does a real life mentalist use to understand human behavior?

Kreskin: I’ve never been asked that question in my life! The most powerful figure that ever existed in western broadcasting was Arthur Godfrey. He was Mr. CBS. He was incredibly popular and his voice was the most recorded and recognized voice in the world. Around Godfrey’s time, psychologists began to talk about empathy – and people began to talk about how empathy was the most important way to relate to people.

And now we are starting to become a dysfunctional society. We are losing the ability to personally communicate with individuals. Something is going wrong because now, we are involved in instant responses.

As far as one of the keys of my career, I learned you don’t judge someone until you walk in their shoes. I talk about this in my appearances at colleges. Try to take the same pace as someone does even when you are walking with them. You try to tune into someone.

PJ Media: What can you predict about this next generation now in college?

Kreskin: Consider one of the major challenges that a young person has coming up in the business world today. Last year there was a protest march on Wall Street [Occupy Wall Street]. Many students feel disconnected. There is a challenge now that never existed in the history of mankind. But when the protests happened, I see all the photographs of people there, many college students.

When you have a pile of good students coming out of school, employers go to the internet. For the first time, your public past is being used to judge you. So college students need to realize communications have taken an entirely different turn. Living your life online will have consequences. What you put on the internet will affect your future.

PJ Media: How do dictators mesmerize crowds?

Kreskin: You said something very significant, and I talk about this in my book. There is a movie you should see called Hannussen. It shows how hypnotic phenomena can be used to help obtain power. Now understand that one of the premises of my career is that hypnosis does not exist. There is no hypnotic state. However, there is the undeniable power of suggestion.