What Science Can Tell Us About the Experience of Unexplainable Presence

‘Researchers explain the neuroscience behind why we sometimes feel the presence of another when we are alone in an empty room…

Despite its century-old origins, the science of felt presence has really only just begun. In the end, scientific research may give us one over-arching explanation, or we may need several theories to account for all these examples of presence. But the encounters people described in Phantasms of the Living aren’t phantoms of a bygone age. If you’re yet to have this unsettling experience, you probably know someone who has..’

— via Neuroscience News

Related? Third Man Syndrome: The weird phenomenon extreme mountain climbers experience

‘I’ll come clean: I’m a complete cynic. I don’t believe in the paranormal, apparitions, or any of that side of things. But even I struggle to explain away the phenomenon that so many mountain climbers have experienced — notably Frank Smythe, who was tantalizingly close to being the first person to climb Mount Everest, and Joe Simpson, the man who wrote Touching the Void. So is Third Man Syndrome some sort of guardian angel, or perhaps a shared hallucination brought about by stress?…’

— Tom Kilpatrick via The Manual

‘Is it possible for humanity to evolve beyond this? Prior to Armageddon? Advocating that humanity’s collective consciousness must transcend militarism and an us-vs.-them attitude toward the planet means lying on a bed of nails….’

— via Common Dreams

‘It takes a body to understand the world, and words have meaning because people use them to make sense of the world, write ASU and USCD psychology researchers.

When we asked GPT-3, an extremely powerful and popular artificial intelligence language system, whether you’d be more likely to use a paper map or a stone to fan life into coals for a barbecue, it preferred the stone.

To smooth your wrinkled skirt, would you grab a warm thermos or a hairpin? GPT-3 suggested the hairpin.

And if you need to cover your hair for work in a fast-food restaurant, which would work better, a paper sandwich wrapper or a hamburger bun? GPT-3 went for the bun.

Why does GPT-3 make those choices when most people choose the alternative? Because GPT-3 does not understand language the way humans do….’

— via Gizmodo

‘…[T]he tough sanctions put in place starting in 2014 suffered from weak enforcement at the Department of Justice and a lack of cooperation from allies, allowing oligarchs and their enablers to skate free….’

— via POLITICO

‘Research assessed democracy in every state. Tennessee came in last place….’

— via Vox

‘Text a friend, write a thank-you note, compliment a stranger — people appreciate these gestures….’

— via Vox

People often underestimate how much others appreciate simple acts of kindness. We have a so-called “liking gap,” consistently misjudging how much our conversation partners enjoy our company. Such negative self-perceptions often cause us to avoid socially risky behaviors, such as making small talk with strangers. However, research suggests that being kind to others can significantly improve our well-being. Simple acts of kindness should be performed without worrying about how they will be perceived and without expecting anything in return.

‘The worst of the pandemic’s death toll might be behind us, but the battlelines have moved from the emergency room to the courtroom. Much like the post-9/11 lawsuits filed against the government by sickened first responders, cases challenging mask and testing mandates, vaccine requirements, quarantine measures, and medical malpractice make up a growing — and lucrative — area of U.S. civil law….’

— via POLITICO