Exploring the Correlates and Nature of Subjective Anomalous Interactions with Objects (Psychometry): A Mixed Methods Survey

Some people report being able to pick up an object — a ring, a watch, a letter — and sense information about its owner. This experience is called psychometry, and this study is the first to investigate what kind of person is more likely to report it. Surveying 164 people, researchers found a striking connection: those who experience psychometry also scored significantly higher on ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) — a heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli that produces tingling sensations in response to specific sounds, textures, or visual triggers. Synesthetes (people whose senses cross-wire, like seeing colors when hearing music) also showed elevated ASMR but weren't significantly more likely to report psychometry itself. When 47 experiencers described what psychometry actually feels like, five distinct patterns emerged — sudden flashes of imagery, waves of intense emotion, a deep sense of just knowing, shifts into another person's perspective, and contextual framing that gives the impressions meaning. The bigger picture: people who report psychometry appear to share a trait of heightened sensory processing, suggesting these experiences may be rooted in how certain brains process subtle sensory information rather than being purely imagination.