The Psychology Behind Justin Willman’s Soda Trick

What better way to kick off a Justin Willman article than with his own words? We all know (and love) Justin Willman. Between Magic For Humans, his new The Magic Prank Show, and countless TV appearances, you’ve seen him everywhere.

When I watch Willman perform, two things always stand out: how incredibly friendly, witty, and likable he is, and just how ingenious his magic ideas are. But let’s go beyond his brilliant jokes and smooth tricks. Today, we’re diving into the psychology behind one of his most memorable routines: his Soda Trick on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Willman’s Soda Trick

Here’s how it plays out:

• Willman pours soda into cups for both himself and Fallon. After pouring, he crushes the soda can. They both put their cups on their heads, facing the audience. 

• Willman asks Fallon to close his eyes — he uses the excuse to secretly grab his own cup and drink all his soda.

• They now each have a cup on the head. They turn them upside down: Willman, with surprise of everyone but Fallon, has no liquid in there. But - here comes the magic - neither does Fallon!

• As a kicker ending, Willman grabs the crushed soda can and, using Fallon’s mind powers, restores it—completely sealed and uncrushed. 

• Willman opens the can and pours the reappeared soda back into Fallon’s cup.

• The crowd goes bananas.

It’s fun, right? Let’s dig into the psychology behind this performance.

The Art of Expectation Management 

Justin Willman is an absolute master at emotionally guiding his audience—whether it’s Fallon, the studio crowd, or us watching on YouTube. He creates this seamless shift from casual entertainment to jaw-dropping wonder, and this soda trick is a perfect example of that skill in action.

So, how does he do it?

The psychology behind Justin Willman's magic revolves around manipulating audience expectations. By starting in a casual manner, he encourages viewers to keep expectations modest. 

In the quote we’ve included in the intro, he says: “I’m not a wizard. I don’t have special powers. If I did, I would not be doing magic for a living!”, really lowering expectations, doesn’t he?

Our brain loves patterns and predictability of life, but magic disrupts this, forcing it to scramble and reconcile the impossible with reality. This mental tug-of-war creates cognitive dissonance, making the brain replay the moment repeatedly, embedding the magical memory even deeper.

The sharp contrast between their relaxed state and the sudden, impressive trick intensifies our emotional response, amplifying our awe. 

This technique is a form of expectation management— it’s a psychological jolt that forces the mind to slam on the brakes, and ask: Wait… what just happened? That jolt created by the shift from mundane reality and unexpected magical outcome is what enhances awe, making the magic feel more impactful.

The deeper the shift between everyday life and magic, the more people can feel that wow effect.

Buy how exactly does Willman set our expectations?

1: Through His Character: The Liking Principle

Willman’s character plays a huge role in how he manages expectations. 

He is fresh, witty and fun, talking and behaving in an everyday manner. It’s as if you’re hanging out with a friendly buddy at the bar. He’s not overacting, being dramatic or behaving like the spotlight is on him. 

In the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini shows that we’re more likely to be impressed by someone we like or feel comfortable with.

This is called the liking principle. By reducing formality and self-disclosing—sharing bits of our personality, making jokes, rapport building and likability—Willman makes the audience feel at ease. 

Consequently, people’s expectations are set at a more natural level, creating, later on in the routine, that shift from reality to magic that amplifies people’s awe.

This doesn’t mean we should all copy his style—this works for him, after years of studying and refining the nuances of his personality in performance.

Each of us can experiment until we find the elements in ourselves that build our own character.

2: Through Everyday Objects: Schema Theory

Another way Willman lowers expectations is through the objects he uses—everyday items like a can of soda and some cups. There’s nothing magical about these objects, and that’s what makes the trick so effective.

The audience knows these items: they’ve held them before, so they don’t suspect that anything special is about to happen.

This taps into schema theory, a concept developed by the British psychologist Frederic Bartlett, in relation to how memory and cognition work. In his book Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology, Bartlett explained that people organize knowledge and experiences into mental frameworks, or schemas, which help them predict how the world functions. 

So, when a magician like Willman disrupts a familiar schema—such as a crushed soda can suddenly being restored—he challenges the audience's expectations based on their prior experiences, heightening the surprise and wonder of the trick. This breaking of the schema is what makes the magic feel more extraordinary.

And it’s not just the items themselves. The way Willman presents them is just as casual. He doesn’t create a story about how the soda can is some ancient artifact or a family heirloom from his magician grandfather (because, honestly, how many of us magicians seem to have grandparents with dusty attics full of magical relics?). No, Willman simply says,“To do this, you need a can of soda and some cups” like it’s no big deal.

By grounding everything in everyday life, Willman makes the magic feel even more impactful when it finally happens.

This doesn’t mean magicians shouldn’t create interesting premises or assign meaning to the objects they use. But here we are analysing Willman's creative decisions and how they impact his magic.

Let’s also focus on another object he uses: a napkin.

Willman casually pulls it out to wipe the glass without Fallon noticing. It’s just an ordinary napkin, the kind anyone might have in their pocket. Though it appears for only a few seconds, it adds to the authentic, everyday style of his performance.

It's not a fancy silk handkerchief; he’s just wiping soda from a cup—he only needs a paper napkin. Everything about it fits perfectly with his character and approach.

As magicians, we can get attached to certain props simply because we’ve always used them. But if we stay true to who we are as performers, our props should reflect that too.

3: Through His Appearance

Even Willman’s appearance helps set expectations. He doesn’t wear a suit or tuxedo—just a long-sleeved black T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, almost signalling, “Look, nothing’s hiding here”.

Sleeves rolled up also give off a much more everyday vibe. This relaxed look keeps everything feeling light, right up until the moment the magic hits. 

Framing the Moment: Encoding Specificity

Framing key moments is crucial in magic, especially when an element appears at the beginning of the trick and returns at the end.

This principle is called encoding specificity: the psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Endel Tulving, in his research on memory, suggests that memory is most effective when the context or cues present at encoding (e.g., the soda can being crushed) are also present during retrieval (e.g., the uncrushed can). The magician ensures the audience will easily recall the initial moment when the can returns to its original form.

Willman does this brilliantly with the soda can. Right after pouring the soda at the very beginning of the routine, he crushes the can and casually sets it aside. But when the can magically reappears in its original, uncrushed form, the audience immediately remembers that earlier moment. 

To maximize the effect impact, it’s essential that the audience remembers that can from the beginning of the routine, recalling the first moment they saw it crushed, and the final moment when it returns to its original shape, creating a circular narrative structure.

Willman successfully frames this moment using both comedy and physical posture: the use of memory anchors—key moments designed to stand out and be easily recalled—leverages how the audience store and retrieve memories, reinforcing the impact of the final reveal.

But how does he do it?

At the beginning of the trick, Willman looks at the can, places it horizontally, and crushes it. He pauses briefly, looks at Fallon, and says, “Wow", making Fallon laugh. Then, Willman strengthens this moment with a joke right after: "I work out”. The audience will remember that moment more because of the presence of that joke.

During the the finale: Willman places the can in the same position as before, perfectly horizontal to the ground, but this time, magic happens. The identical position of the can, and the fact that this frame was highlighted by a joke at the beginning, immediately brings the earlier moment back into the audience’s mind. It’s a circular narrative.

Shifting to Awe: The Power of Facial Expressions

As the performance unfolds, Willman expertly uses his facial expressions to heighten the emotional shift from casual fun to awe. At first, he’s casual and witty, making everyone feel at ease. But when the magic moment approaches, his face changes—his eyes express mystery, his pauses lengthen, so that, suddenly, the tone shifts.

By creating this moment of suspense, the audience stops laughing and senses something extraordinary is about to happen.

At this point, when the magic happens during the grand finale, Willman’s facial expression shifts again—from serious to wonder— influencing the audience’s reactions through the use of mirroring.

Mirroring is the strategic use of facial expressions and body language to reflect the audience's emotions, guiding and amplifying their reactions to create a deeper sense of awe and engagement during the performance. 

In Willman’s use of mirroring, he transitions from casual to serious, then to wonder, subtly guiding the audience, which follows his emotional lead, enhancing the overall experience.

The neurobiological basis of mirroring are most explained by the paper Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actions, by Rizzolatti, that shows how mirror neurons fire both when a person performs an action and when they observe someone else performing that action. These neurons help explain why the audience unconsciously mimics Willman’s emotions, as their brains simulate what they see on his face. 

Morover, Paul Ekman, in his lifetime research on emotions and facial expressions, highlights how certain expressions trigger emotional responses in observers. Willman’s use of strategic expressions (e.g., wonder or suspense) helps create those same emotions in the audience.

Finally, he releases the tension by smiling, making the entire audience release their tension, too. And with that smile, he takes the audience along with him: this intensifies their final applause even more.

Justin Willman isn’t just performing magic tricks—he’s crafting a complete experience.

So, what can we learn from Willman? Beyond the tricks, it’s about finding your own voice, and connecting with your audience on a personal level. Magic isn’t just about fooling people, it’s about leading them on an emotional journey.

And let’s be honest, watching Willman in action doesn’t just make you admire his skills: it makes you want to go out and create a little magic of your own, right?