Most Americans wish they could read minds, be time travelers

The ability to read minds and the power to travel through time are the special abilities most Americans would like to have, a new Marist poll has revealed.

Both these otherworldly skills were favoured by 28% of the more than 1,000 people who participated in the telephone survey. Flying swooped in with 16%, followed by teleportation with 11%, and lastly invisibility at just 10%, reports the New York Daily News.

Among those living in the Northeast, mind reading was by far the most popular power, with 35% of respondents saying it would be their choice. It was also the most in-demand ability among Generation Xers - 36% said they wished they could probe other people's thoughts.

Mind reading was also popular among women - 30% wished they had the skill, while 35% of men favoured time travel.

Flying scored high among 18- to 29-year-olds at 22%, but they still preferred telepathy (25%) and time travel (26%).

Those between the ages of 45 and 59 wished they could move through time, and those 60 and older were the most uncertain of which power they'd want.