Characteristics of Memories for Near-Death Experiences
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Plain English Summary
People who survive near-death experiences often insist their NDE felt 'more real than real life' β and this study from the University of Virginia actually put that bold claim to the test with the largest sample yet. Researchers had 122 NDE survivors rate memories of their NDE, a real event from around the same time, and an imagined event using a detailed 38-item questionnaire. The results were genuinely remarkable: NDE memories consistently scored higher than memories of things that actually happened, which in turn beat out imagined memories. This held across nearly every dimension tested β clarity, context, thoughts and feelings, emotional intensity β all with impressively large statistical effect sizes. Even after accounting for potential explanations like age, time elapsed, whether the person had a cardiac arrest, or drug use, the pattern held firm. Deeper NDEs produced even more vivid memories, and that wasn't just because they were emotional experiences. This seriously challenges the idea that NDEs are mere hallucinations, since hallucination memories typically score lower than real ones, not higher.
Research Notes
From UVA Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS). CRITICAL: Previously misidentified in catalog as Martial et al. (2017) 'Intensity and Memory Characteristics of Near-Death Experiences' β that is a different paper (N=152, from LiΓ¨ge Coma Science Group, DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.06.018). The actual PDF is Moore & Greyson (2017), Consciousness and Cognition 51, pp. 116-124. Provides the strongest evidence to date for the 'realer than real' phenomenology of NDE memories.
The largest study to date (N=122) examining the phenomenological characteristics of NDE memories using the full 38-item Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ). NDE survivors completed the MCQ for three memories: their NDE, a real event around the same time, and an imagined event. Repeated measures ANOVA showed NDE memories rated significantly higher than real event memories, which were in turn higher than imagined event memories (F = 113.67, p < 0.001, Ξ·Β² = 0.486). This 'realer than real' pattern held for 4 of 5 MCQ factors (Clarity, Contextual, Thoughts/Feelings, Intensity of Feelings) with large effect sizes. The effect was robust to confounds including age, time elapsed, gender, cardiac arrest, and drug use. NDE depth correlated with MCQ scores (r = 0.42, p < 0.001) even after controlling for emotional valence (partial r = 0.355). Extends Thonnard et al. (2013) and Palmieri et al. (2014) with 15x larger sample.
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π Cite this paper
Moore, L.E, Greyson, B (2017). Characteristics of Memories for Near-Death Experiences. Consciousness and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.03.003
@article{moore_2017_nde_memory,
title = {Characteristics of Memories for Near-Death Experiences},
author = {Moore, L.E and Greyson, B},
year = {2017},
journal = {Consciousness and Cognition},
doi = {10.1016/j.concog.2017.03.003},
}