Who’s Calling? Evaluating the Accuracy of Guessing Who is on the Phone
Helané Wahbeh, Cedric Cannard, Dean Radin, & Arnaud Delorme
Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)
“Telepathy” was coined in 1882 as “the communication of impressions of any kind from one mind to another, independently of the recognized channels of sense” (Myers, 1903). Approximately 37 – 78% of respondents in the United Kingdom (Sheldrake, 2000) and California (Brown & Sheldrake, 2001) endorse experiencing “telephone telepathy” or knowing who is calling them.
In formal studies evaluating this phenomenon, researchers assessed the callee’s hit rate for guessing who of four people was calling them (Sheldrake & Smart, 2003a). In 571 trials, the overall success rate was 40%, significantly above the expected chance success rate of 25% (p = 4 x 10-16, CI = 36 – 45%). Further investigations by the same authors showed similar findings and were well-documented (e.g., videotaped and with similar study designs using text messages, emails, and automated protocols on smartphones) (Sheldrake et al., 2004, 2009, 2015; Sheldrake & Avraamides, 2009; Sheldrake & Beharee, 2009; Sheldrake & Lambert, 2007; Sheldrake & Smart, 2003b, 2005).
Other investigators have replicated these findings (Lobach & Bierman, 2004), but not all laboratories have found above-chance effects (Schmidt et al., 2004, 2009). Our understanding of the potential mechanisms underlying this apparent phenomenon is still in its infancy. For example, whether callee and caller familiarity or physical distance are essential factors is unclear. Building on these previous studies, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of guesses for who was calling and its relationship to genetic relatedness, emotional closeness, physical distance, and communication frequency.The Parapsychological Association is an international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psi (or ‘psychic’) experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition. The primary objective of the PA is to achieve a scientific understanding of these experiences.
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Helané Wahbeh is the Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University, and Past President of the Parapsychological Association. Dr. Wahbeh is clinically trained as a naturopathic physician and research-trained with a Master of Clinical Research and two post-doctoral research fellowships. She has published and spoken internationally about her studies on complementary and alternative medicine, mind-body medicine, extended human capacities, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder, and their relationships to physiology, health, and healing. Dr. Wahbeh is especially known for her research around—and noetic approach to—channeling.
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Published on June 23, 2024
