The Daily Telegraph
GERMANY, November 16, 2004: Have you ever had the feeling that someone is watching you, only to find out later that they were? Researchers from Germany’s Freiberg University have been studying this phenomenon in a controlled environment. The news release explains, “Dr. Stefan Schmidt and his team carried out two experiments a thousand times and believe they have finally proved the reality of the sixth sense. The first, called ‘remote staring,’ consisted of a volunteer in a sealed room watching a second volunteer in another room via closed circuit TV. The second volunteer was hooked up to electrodes which recorded the tingles or electrical activity of the skin. This was compared when the volunteer was or was not being watched. In the second experiment, called ‘direct mental interaction,’ the first volunteer concentrated on making the second feel uncomfortable or relaxed from within the sealed cell.” Using what they call a ‘complex statistical scale,’ the scientists were able to analyze the studies and produce data. Key to the study was the fact that the electronic monitor picked up different reactions from the participants when the starer tried to make them feel either uncomfortable or relaxed. The findings have not convinced non-believers in the paranormal but they have given believers another point of reference.
HPI adds: UK scientists Rupert Sheldrake performed similar experiments which relied on the testimony of the person being watched. He found a statistically significant ability to detect being stared at from behind. The difference with this research is they are using a reaction from the skin electrodes and not the subjective evaluation of the person.