Exceptional Experiences Reported by Scientists and Engineers
📄 Original study ↗📌 Appears in:
Plain English Summary
Think scientists are too rational for weird experiences? Think again. Researchers surveyed nearly 900 Americans -- ordinary folks, scientists, and people already into mystical topics -- about 25 types of unusual experiences like precognition and telepathy. The surprise: scientists reported these at almost the same rate as everyone else (93% versus 94%). Belief in the paranormal was the strongest predictor, along with personality traits like openness. Importantly, none of the groups showed signs of mental illness. One big caveat: fewer than 1% of contacted scientists completed the survey, so responders may have been unusually open to the topic.
Research Notes
Key finding: scientific training does not suppress anomalous experience; scientists endorse EHEs at the general-population rate and score higher than laypeople on 21/25 EHE items. Strong non-response bias in the scientist sample (~0.7% completion rate) limits inference. Part of IONS research program alongside wahbeh_2018_mixed and wahbeh_2019_noetic.
Surveyed 899 US adults across three groups — 283 general population, 175 scientists/engineers, and 441 noetic-science enthusiasts — on 25 exceptional human experience (EHE) types, paranormal belief, mental health, and personality. Scientists endorsed at least one EHE at nearly the same rate as the general population (93.2% vs 94.0%); enthusiasts were higher (99.3%). Paranormal belief correlated strongly with EHE endorsement (r=0.61, p<0.0005). GLM analysis explained 55.7% of EHE score variance; significant predictors included paranormal belief, dissociation, openness, lower neuroticism, family history, and younger age of onset. Psychotic and dissociative symptoms did not reach pathological levels in any group.
Links
Related Papers
Same Research Program
- Measuring Extraordinary Experiences and Beliefs: A Validation and Reliability Study — Wahbeh, Helané (2019)
- A Mixed Methods Phenomenological and Exploratory Study of Channeling — Wahbeh, Helané (2018)
- People Reporting Experiences of Mediumship Have Higher Dissociation Symptom Scores Than Non-Mediums, But Below Thresholds for Pathological Dissociation — Wahbeh, Helané (2018)
- Future Directions in Meditation Research: Recommendations for Expanding the Field of Contemplative Science — Vieten, C (2018)
- Electrocortical activity associated with subjective communication with the deceased — Delorme, Arnaud (2013)
Cites
- Bayesian and Classical Hypothesis Testing: Practical Differences for a Controversial Area of Research — Kennedy, J.E (2014)
- Intuitive Assessment of Mortality Based on Facial Characteristics: Behavioral, Electrocortical, and Machine Learning Analyses — Delorme, Arnaud (2018)
- Entertaining Without Endorsing: The Case for the Scientific Investigation of Anomalous Cognition — Schooler, Jonathan W (2018)
- Feeling the Future: A Meta-Analysis of 90 Experiments on the Anomalous Anticipation of Random Future Events — Bem, Daryl J (2015)
- Precognition as a Form of Prospection: A Review of the Evidence — Mossbridge, Julia A (2018)
- A Call for an Open, Informed Study of All Aspects of Consciousness — Cardeña, Etzel (2014)
Companion
- Cognitive Styles and Psi: Psi Researchers Are More Similar to Skeptics Than to Lay Believers — Pehlivanova, M (2024)
- When the Truth Is Out There: Counseling People Who Report Anomalous Experiences — Rabeyron, Thomas (2022)
- Exploring the Correlates and Nature of Subjective Anomalous Interactions with Objects (Psychometry): A Mixed Methods Survey — Simmonds-Moore, Christine A (2024)
Also by these authors
Experimental Investigation of Precognition in Yoga Practitioners
Observer Influence on Quantum Interference: Testing the von Neumann-Wigner Consciousness-Collapse Theory
Who's Calling? Evaluating the Accuracy of Guessing Who Is on the Phone
More in Overview
Editorial: Emerging Research: Self-Ascribed Parapsychological Abilities
What if consciousness is not an emergent property of the brain? Observational and empirical challenges to materialistic models
Is the Sun Conscious?
Inner Experience – Direct Access to Reality: A Complementarist Ontology and Dual Aspect Monism Support a Broader Epistemology
The Experimental Evidence for Parapsychological Phenomena: A Review
📋 Cite this paper
Wahbeh, Helané, Radin, Dean, Mossbridge, Julia, Vieten, Cassandra, Delorme, Arnaud (2018). Exceptional Experiences Reported by Scientists and Engineers. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.05.002
@article{wahbeh_2018_exceptional,
title = {Exceptional Experiences Reported by Scientists and Engineers},
author = {Wahbeh, Helané and Radin, Dean and Mossbridge, Julia and Vieten, Cassandra and Delorme, Arnaud},
year = {2018},
journal = {Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing},
doi = {10.1016/j.explore.2018.05.002},
}