Chapter 17: Black Magic and Dark Tourism Impact Mental Well-being of Gender: A Standpoint of Embodiment Theory With Emotional Experience

Black magic belief frequently spreads in the dark tourists’ places, which alters things by supernatural means with the intention of causing harm or destruction toward human mental well-being. In response, bodily experiences and processes of black magic understanding are vital in the dark tourists’ places and it impacts emotional experience and mental well-being. Therefore, the objective of the research was to investigate the predictive perception of (N = 389) individuals attending dark tourism places in Balakot, Pakistan, about black magic and emotional experiences among the Muslim community. A quantitative research approach was applied to collect data through a self-administered questionnaire. A purposive sampling technique was used, and data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical packages for social sciences and SmartPLS-4 were used to analyze the collected data. Emotional experience negatively mediates between black magic, dark tourism, and mental well-being. Embodiment experience and the process of black magic influence emotional experience and mental well-being. Gender has negatively moderate between emotional experiences and mental well-being. Women had a higher disposition than males regarding the reality of black magic in dark tourist places. Individuals who have a high level of education were less inclined toward the notion of black magic and mental well-being issues. In conclusion, the study discovers that black magic and dark tourism expressions of emotional experiences can be decoded with dark tourism places. This chapter expands the scientific knowledge of embodiment theory in the context of black magic and dark tourism, which have negative implications for mental well-being and emotional experiences.